Love is a Four Letter Word
by RandomFan22
Summary: My take on Keith's life pre-fame. Already complete - will post a chapter a day.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"That's him!" The pretty young blonde standing next to an even prettier and slightly older blonde said as she began to dance a quick jig.

"Oh? All I see is a station wagon coming around the corner." The older girl said.

"Very funny, that's his parents' car. He's here. Oh, I can't believe I get to spend the whole day with him." The younger one said.

"Bren, you really need to calm down. I thought you said you wanted to impress this boy and get him to ask you to the spring dance. If you act like a blithering idiot, he's sure to notice you, but not in a good way. And, as your older sister, it's my job to see that you get your man." The older one chided.

Brenda, seeing the wisdom of her sister's words, tried vainly to stand still. "Oh, Beth, do you really think I can get him to notice me? I've been trying for the whole school year and he hasn't even once looked at me as anything other than his younger sister's friend."

"Well, that's what this whole party is about isn't it? Well, that and to celebrate you officially becoming a teenager." Beth teased.

"I still can't believe Mom and Dad agreed to let me have boys and girls for my party." Brenda sighed.

"Hmmm." Beth murmured. She couldn't believe that her parents had allowed a co-ed party or that they had agreed to let Brenda's two older sisters act as chaperones rather than themselves. Oh, they'd be home, just not down in the basement rec room with the attendees.

Things sure had changed since Beth had been thirteen. She supposed it had something to do with Brenda being the baby of the family and the fact that Beth and Barbara had broken them in. The two older girls had had to fight for every inch of independence they'd been given. Brenda had things handed to her.

Beth was brought back to the present when her sister literally squealed. "Ohmygod, there he is. For real."

Beth watched a young boy exit the front seat of the station wagon and then wait for his sister to get out of the back seat. She watched him lean in the open window and carry on a conversation with the man driving the car. Maybe it was their vantage point, but he looked kind of small to her for someone her sister had told her was a year older than her. Brenda had sent him an anonymous birthday card for his fourteenth birthday just last month. Beth had spent hours with her in the card store picking out just the right card. It had been sort of fun and nostalgic to watch her little sister go through the first stages of puppy love.

"He doesn't look all that impressive." Beth couldn't help but tease.

"What do you mean? He's absolutely the most cute boy in the whole school." Brenda turned to her sister in shock.

"Well, he looks kind of short." Beth pointed out. She loved making Brenda defend the object of her affection.

"He's taller than me." Brenda quickly defended and then noticed her sister trying to hide a smile. "Besides, I'm sure he'll grow some more. And, I'm not all that tall either. In fact, looking at Mom and Dad, I'm lucky if I'll top out at five foot five."

"How old did you say he was? Fourteen, right? I'd say he's mostly done growing." Beth tried but just couldn't hide her smile.

"You are so not funny. Besides, you're pretty darn short yourself." Brenda huffed having turned from her sister and missed seeing the smile.

"Hey, now that was truly uncalled for. Do you want my help today or not?" Beth knew that threat would get her a quick apology.

"I'm sorry. Truly I am. Oh, please, you have to help me. I'll just die if he doesn't notice me. That witch, Pam Peterson, is telling all the girls in school that she's going to get Keith to invite her to the spring dance in a couple of weeks. I just have to get him to ask me. I just have to. Next year he'll be in high school and I'll still just be in junior high. Oh, Beth, please." Brenda could feel the tears spring to her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Brenda. Don't cry. I was just teasing. Of course I'll help you." Beth quickly assured her sister and pulled her into a quick hug. "Now, let's finish with your hair so you can make your grand entrance, hmmm?"

"Just a couple more minutes. I want to watch him until he gets into the house. I wanna make sure he's going to stay." Brenda turned back to the scene below them.

"He's here. Why wouldn't he stay?" Beth asked confused.

"Because Laurie told me he had begged his parents not to make him come to a silly birthday party. He wanted to go to this concert in San Francisco with his friends. One of his friend's older brothers was going to drive them. They'd had it all planned until his parents found out about it. Laurie said there was a huge fight and Keith locked himself in his room for the whole night. He skipped dinner and everything. His parents grounded him. Laurie said it was the worst fight she'd ever seen." Brenda related the story with a little awe. She'd never once had cross words with her parents.

"Wow, he's a bit of a rebel, isn't he?" Beth looked at the boy walking with his sister to the house. Maybe she should watch him a little more closely than she'd first thought. "What else haven't you told me about him?"

"What do you mean?" Brenda asked never taking her eyes off of Keith's progress up the front walk.

She gasped when he suddenly stopped and turned around jogging back to the car. "Oh, no! He's leaving."

Beth looked quickly back out the window to see Keith open the tailgate of the station wagon and pull out a guitar case. "No, he's just getting what looks like a guitar."

"Oh, that's right. I had Laurie ask him to bring his guitar. He's so talented." Brenda gushed.

"Why did you have Laurie ask him?" Beth just couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Oh, gosh Beth. I couldn't have asked him myself. I'd have blushed and stammered and oh, wow, who knows what else. I get so tongue tied around him." Brenda said fervently.

"Well, how in the world do you expect to make a good impression on him today if you don't talk to him?" Beth asked finally able to pull her sister away from the window to finish her hair when Keith and Laurie rang the doorbell.

"I don't know." Brenda almost wailed in panic and sent a pleading look at her sixteen year old sister who she hoped and prayed would think of something. And, quick.

"Don't worry. Barbara and I will think of something. In plenty of time." Beth spun her sister away from her and bit her lip. Holy cow! Barbara and Beth would do anything for their baby sister. But, this one would definitely be a challenge. How do you get a boy to notice a girl who was too shy to talk to him?

Finishing with Brenda's hair, Beth stepped back and looked at her baby sister critically. Too bad she was so darn shy when she was around boys she liked - well, at least she was pretty. With her blonde locks curled and pulled back slightly from her face, their mother's bright green eyes sparkling with excitement and the rest of her facial features making a stunning picture, they could at least count on Keith thinking she was easy on the eyes.

Instead of the usual party dress that most girls wore to their thirteenth birthday party, Brenda had begged for something more mature. Their mother had finally given in and allowed her to wear bell bottoms. On top, she wore a tight sweater that hugged her budding curves. Beth looked at her baby sister, who she was just realizing was no longer a baby and thought, 'Keith Partridge, you had best look out'.

"What? Is something wrong?" Brenda asked seeing her sister's overly long perusal.

"Nope. I was just thinking that your new beau had best hold onto his hat when you make your appearance. You are going to knock him for a loop. That's for sure." Beth grinned at her blushing sister.

"I look alright?" Brenda looked down at herself.

"You look better than alright." Beth assured her.

"Do I look thirteen?" Brenda could sure use more reassurance. She needed to look older to land an older boyfriend.

"Oh, I'd say closer to fourteen." Beth quickly told her. She watched a pretty smiled replace the look of worry. That was just the effect that Beth had been going for. The smile transformed her pretty features into a look of rare beauty. The sisters all, thankfully, took after their stunning mother who could have easily been a model except for her height, but had chosen married life with the man of her dreams. Barbara and Brenda had gotten their mother's emerald green eyes while Beth had always lamented that she'd gotten their father's dull brown eyes. Since she'd been dating, she'd found out that boys were fascinated by the combination of her almost white blonde locks and her dark, exotic eyes so she'd recently decided that her eye color was a blessing not a curse.

"Really? Fourteen?" Brenda said in awe. "Oh, he's sure to notice me."

"Yes, he is. Now, stand up straight, throw your shoulders back and put on an air of confidence like mom showed you the other day. He won't stand a chance." Beth assured her.

"Well, they were the last guests to arrive. I guess it's time for me to make my entrance." Brenda said with newly gained confidence.

"That's the spirit. Let's go." Beth said and pulled the bedroom door open motioning her sister through ahead of her.

"Keith Partridge, you best be ready because here I come." Brenda beamed at her sister as she walked past.

Beth shook her head at her sister's quick change and followed her down the hallway and downstairs.

xoxo

"I can't believe we're at some stupid birthday party instead of the concert." Keith lamented to Gordy and Skizzy who were standing with him in a corner. "Do you suppose we could ditch the party and still catch your brother before he leaves?"

"Oh, sure. If you don't like living." Skizzy answered. "I have never seen my parents so mad. At least they were mad at Mark instead of me. Man, when they found out that Mark was planning on taking us to the concert instead of the ballgame I was pretty sure an atomic bomb had gone off."

"Yeah, I got pretty much the same reaction." Keith admitted. "But, going to the concert might be worth the fall-out."

"Bad pun Partridge." Gordy put in. "I have absolutely no desire to ever see my dad's face that red again."

"Actually, I think my dad was planning on taking me to the concert until he found out about our plan. In fact, I'm almost sure of it. While I'm at this dumb party, my parents got a babysitter for the rest of the kids and are going out. Wouldn't surprise me to find out they went to the concert with the tickets that dad meant for me and him. Dad's into music just like I am." Keith remembered the look of disappointment on his dad's face when they'd confronted him about his plans. At first he'd thought is was because he'd gone behind their backs but after a couple of days separation from the situation, he was pretty sure it had been because the surprise he'd planned for Keith had been torpedoed by Keith's actions.

"You are so lucky that your dad is so into music. In fact, come to think of it, your whole family is musically inclined. Ever think of startin' your own band?" Gordy joked.

"Oh, right. My parents won't let me go to a concert. Why in the world would they let me start a band? I'm surprised they got me an electric guitar for my birthday last month." Keith's eyes lit up when he thought about his latest prized possession. He'd been driving the family crazy trying to learn to play like Hendrix and Clapton. They'd finally moved his equipment into the garage to get some peace.

Since then, he and the rest of his brothers and sisters had been playing music to their hearts content whenever they felt like it. Keith was out there the most, but Danny, Chris and even Laurie would show up more and more often. They had yet to put it all together because Keith was just teaching Chris how to pound away on Keith's drum set, but he was learning quickly. Danny could already play some simple tunes on the guitar and Laurie was a whiz on the piano. A band just might not be such a far-out idea.

Oh, who was he kidding? His parents were alright with him feeding his love of music, but they'd likely draw the line at him trying to take it public. Besides, what would they play? Cover music? Keith got a faraway look in his eyes as he dreamed of himself on stage with Clapton while playing dueling guitars.

"Uh oh, Partridge is lost in musicland again." Skizzy said as he waved his hand in front of Keith's far away gaze.

"Knock it off Skiz." Keith knocked his hand away from his face just as the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen walked down the stairs into the basement rec room. Keith's mouth fell open as he looked at the gorgeous and obviously older girl calling for everyone's attention.

"Hey, Partridge, she's way out of your league. She's at least sixteen." Gordy whispered in his ear even though he was thinking much the same thing as Keith. Wouldn't any one of them have loved a shot at her? She was stunning.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the lady of the party has arrived." Beth said and swung her arm to draw everyone's attention to Brenda as she made her entrance.

Brenda immediately scanned the room looking for Keith. It took her a while to find him as her girlfriends rushed over to congratulate her on her birthday and her great outfit. She finally noticed him standing with his two best friends in the far corner. What hurt was that his eyes weren't glued to her like she'd hoped. In fact, he had a goofy look on his face and was staring intently at someone just to her right. Brenda glanced over to find Beth smiling happily at her.

Brenda's smile faltered as she realized that Keith was completely taken by her older sister.

When Beth noticed Brenda's smile falter, she shot her a questioning look and then followed Brenda's eyes to her crush to find him staring at her with a look of adulation. Great, just great. All she needed tonight was some horny kid chasing her all over the place trying to use all his best lines on her.

Beth threw a glare at Keith and nodded her head toward Brenda. Keith frowned back and finally pulled his eyes away from the goddess who was obviously much less enamored of him.

When his eyes finally lit on Brenda, she threw him her best smile. He threw a weak smile back and turned to Skizzy. "You really think she's sixteen?"

"No, I know she's sixteen. Mark talks about her all the time and says every guy in high school is hot for her. She's pretty selective though. She's only dated the most popular guys in school. You know, the quarterback or the star basketball player. She doesn't even look at the regular Joe's. Which pisses Mark and his buddies off to no end." Skizzy threw another longing look at the older girl who had already dismissed them as kids.

"Man, what I wouldn't give to be famous or really good at sports right about now." Keith whispered.

"Forget it Partridge. The only way she'd look at you were if you were as well known as your idol, Clapton." Skizzy shot down Keith's dreams.

"Kill joy." Keith shot at Skizzy.

"Nope. Just realistic. Besides, at two years older and already in high school, what does she want with some junior high dweeb?" Skizzy moved quickly to avoid Keith's elbow.

"Keep it up Skiz and I'll forget I knew you when I do become famous." Keith turned away from the girl who was well beyond his reach but still held a fascination for him. Too bad he wasn't some tall Adonis. He was just average old Keith Partridge.

If he could read minds, he'd have thought himself much closer to Adonis than an average Joe. Brenda was still gazing at him longingly and thinking that he was just about the cutest boy to ever draw breath.

"Well, brother dear, aren't you going to wish the birthday girl well?" Laurie had snuck up on Keith without his noticing.

"Yeah, maybe later." Keith said hoping she hadn't heard any of their conversation about Brenda's sister. From the look on her face, he was safe.

"I think it would be nice if you did it now." Laurie nudged him. She knew that Brenda had a mad crush on her brother and was doing everything in her power to get them close to each other.

Unfortunately, she also knew that Keith had yet to look at Brenda as a girl. Oh, he knew she was female, but to him she was just one of his kid sister's friends. One of his sister's friends whom he categorically avoided whenever they came over. He hated it when they tried to include him in their silly conversations. Well, that's what he called them anyway. Their conversations usually revolved around boys and fashion; neither of which interested Keith in the least.

Even though Laurie was seven months younger than Brenda, they'd been best friends since they were little. It had all started on the first day of school in the first grade. Laurie had been younger than the other kids in her class because she'd been allowed to test out of kindergarten and was thus one grade behind Keith instead of two. With her birthday in December, she should have been two grades behind, but her thirst to learn everything her older brother learned had allowed her to be more advanced than other kids her age. That didn't stop her from being extra shy and Brenda, seeing her struggle, had approached her at lunch and joked and cajoled her into smiling. Once that had happened, they'd become inseparable.

Brenda spent many happy nights on sleep-overs by the Partridge's and Laurie had done the same over by Brenda's house. At first, Keith hadn't minded being included when they'd played but as his tastes had matured, he'd started to avoid the girls at all costs. He would disappear whenever they were around and would try to sleep over at a friend's house if Brenda was to sleep by them. He had claimed it was self-preservation. They always followed him around and giggled. Gross.

Keith was completely unaware that Laurie's and Brenda's tastes had matured right along with his because he'd been avoiding them for a couple of years. If he knew that Brenda had a crush on him things might be different. Then again, maybe not. He had yet to see Brenda as 'date' potential. Right now, she was his little sister's best friend. That made her taboo.

Brenda was fighting to keep the smile on her face while she watched Laurie talk to Keith. She had expected Keith to at least come over and wish her a happy birthday, but so far he'd kept his distance.

xoxo

Barbara, Brenda's nineteen year old sister who'd been playing hostess up to this point, stopped next to Beth and asked, "How'd it go?"

"Oh, Barbara, she is head over heels for this one." Beth told her in a quiet voice.

"Which one is he?" Barbara asked. She had no idea what was going on. She was recently home from college and had completely lost track of her sisters' love lives.

"See those three boys in the corner? The ones with Brenda's friend Laurie?" At Barbara's nod of acknowledgement, Beth continued, "Keith's the one right next to Laurie. He really is kind of cute."

"For a fourteen year old, he's not too bad. His hair is kind of long, but I guess that's the new thing." Barbara agreed. She only knew how old he was because he was all Brenda had talked about since she'd gotten home that morning. "He certainly has potential to grow into a real looker."

"You sound just like a guy when you say things like that. A real looker, huh? Personally, I think he's still stuck smack dab in the middle of the male awkward stage. You know the one that doesn't seem to leave most of them until their somewhere between sixteen and thirty." Beth joked.

The shared laughter of Brenda's two older sisters drew the eye of every male invited to the party. They really did make a stunning picture. Too bad they were way out of the league of every young boy there.

xoxo

The party had been going on for over an hour when Keith excused himself. He'd used the excuse that he needed to use the bathroom, but the reality was he was bored out of his mind. They had music playing and were just standing around and talking. Some of the girls had danced a little, but none of the guys had. It was just like the dances at school. So far they hadn't played any slow music, so none of the guys were even thinking of dancing. Besides, even with Brenda's parents absent from the rec room, her older sisters were watching them like hawks. It was enough to give the insecure young boys a case of the yips, so they steered clear of the girls for now.

Keith wandered around the first floor of the house looking for the bathroom and once he was done decided to explore some more before rejoining the party. He could talk to Gordy and Skizzy anytime.

He wandered outside to find Brenda's dad working on the family's car.

"Hello, Mr. Morgan. What're ya doin'?" Keith asked.

"You're Keith Partridge, right?" At Keith's nod he continued. "Changing the oil and a little maintenance. You know anything about cars?"

"Sure. My dad and I are fixing up an old '57 Chevy that he says will be mine when I get my license. We're not as far as we'd like to be cause Mom always gives him her 'honey do' list." Keith said and leaned against the fender with a grin.

"Why aren't you at the party?" Mr. Morgan asked, liking the kid already for his views on the husband and wife dynamic.

Keith shrugged and avoided an answer. "Can I give you a hand?"

"Sure, but you don't want to get your party duds dirty so grab that pair of coveralls on the tool box. Then you can grab the creeper and slide under the car to remove the oil plug." Mr. Morgan could get used to having a helping hand with the manly chores around the house. Being the only male in his female dominated household had him starved for the relationship he'd have had with a son. Who could blame him for accepting the young man's offer of assistance?

If he'd have thought about it, he'd have known that his daughter would be upset. After all, the boy was supposed to be at her party. If he'd known the young man just so happened to be his daughter's latest crush he'd have known for sure she'd be upset. But, being the only male in the household, he tuned out on those conversations, so was unaware of the havoc he was causing.

Keith had been absent from the party for at least a half an hour when Barbara came out of the house and asked her dad if he'd seen Keith Partridge.

When Mr. Morgan looked through a space in the motor to see Keith lying on the creeper under the vehicle and out of sight of his daughter, he noticed Keith shaking his head and asking for his silence. So he answered that he hadn't seen him in a while.

Keith grinned his appreciation of the man covering for him and went back to helping with the auto repairs. Mr. Morgan grinned back and winked conspiratorially.

When they finished the maintenance on the car, Keith offered to help Mr. Morgan start the barbecue and grill the burgers and hot dogs that would be their meal. It was here that Beth found Keith.

"Daddy, what are you doing putting one of the party goers to work?" Beth gently chastised him. She'd been sent by Brenda to find her most important guest after Barbara had come up empty.

"What? He offered." Mr. Morgan defended himself. At her look of disgust, he gave in and said quietly to Keith, "Guess your reprieve is over. Sorry, son. Thanks for all the help."

"No problem Mr. Morgan. I had a good time." Keith assured him and had no problems following the pretty sixteen year old back into the house. Who could blame him if he took advantage of the view while he did so?

"I'm glad I found you. Brenda wants you to bring out your guitar and play some songs. We can have a little concert." Beth told him over her shoulder as they headed down the basement stairs.

"Yippee." Keith said without enthusiasm. God, he hated singing in front of people. He was always afraid his voice would crack. He'd have to make sure everyone else sang along.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

While Keith was pulling his guitar from its case and then tuning it, Beth pulled Brenda aside.

"Go over and sit close to him. Oh yeah and compliment him – a lot. Men love to have their egos stroked." Beth coached.

"Alright, that won't be hard. He's really very good." Brenda told her sister. "Anything specific I should mention?"

"Make sure you compliment him on his skill with the guitar. Oh yeah and his singing." Beth reminded her hoping that he was halfway decent on the instrument and that he could carry a tune so that Brenda wouldn't look like a fool. "Just don't over do it."

"How will I know what's too much?" Brenda asked nervously.

"I'll signal you if you go too far." Beth told her. "I'll shake my head slightly. Just make sure you smile and look him right in the eyes while you compliment him. That way he'll know it's sincere."

Keith had sat down on a foot stool and the other kids had crowded around him. It almost looked a little like story time in kindergarten. Beth grinned at the comparison as she knew her sister would kill her for comparing her friends to such young children.

Brenda walked toward them and hesitated slightly as all the spots closest to Keith were already taken. Laurie caught her look of uncertainty and called out, "Brenda, over here. I saved you a spot."

Brenda beamed at her friend. She'd been planted right next to her brother. Laurie winked at her as she slid over to make room for Brenda to sit just to Keith's right.

"Alright, what should we start with?" Keith looked out nervously over the group of twenty or so kids looking at him expectantly.

"How about Purple Haze?" Skizzy suggested from the back of the group.

"Yeah, right. If I had my Stratocaster here, maybe. On acoustic? No way." Keith glared at his friend.

"Why not let it be the Birthday Girl's choice?" Laurie suggested. She'd coached Brenda on what to ask for knowing what Keith was most comfortable with.

"That seems fair." Keith quickly agreed and looked expectantly at Brenda who blushed lightly under his close regard. "What'll it be, Bren?"

"I've always liked 'Cherish' by the Association." Brenda blushed even more at the familiar shortening of her name.

Keith threw a speculative glance at his sister who was smiling innocently behind her. A little too innocently for Keith's liking, but at least he knew he could play what was requested.

"Everyone can join in, alright?" Keith said just before he started strumming his guitar. He started singing and expected everyone to join in. Instead they stayed quiet and just listened to his young yet pure voice give feeling to the words he was singing.

When he brought the song to a close, he was flooded with a round of applause from everyone listening.

"Keith that was really great!" Brenda said with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, Partridge. That was almost good." Gordy grinned from his seat beside Skizzy.

Gordy's joking had pulled Keith's attention away from Brenda's beaming face and she attempted to draw his attention back quickly.

"Don't pay any attention to him. He's just jealous. He knows he sounds like a croaking toad." Brenda shot the insult at Gordy.

"Ha! She got you there Gordy." Skizzy jabbed his elbow into Gordy's ribs.

"Ignore your goofball friends, Keith and play another song. How about 'Hey Jude'?" Laurie suggested.

Keith complied with his sister's request and once again ended up singing by himself.

"Why aren't you singing along?" Keith asked the group when he was done.

"We don't know the words." One of the other enthralled girls said dreamily.

Keith frowned at the obvious lie. Everyone knew the words to the year's most popular song. "Well, somebody pick a song that everyone knows. I'm getting bored singing by myself."

Someone shouted another Beatles song as a suggestion and Keith played it as requested. Still, no one joined in. They were all enjoying his singing way too much to drown it out with their own pathetic attempts at carrying a tune.

When someone suggested a song by the Mamas and the Papas, Keith finally insisted that Laurie sing the harmonies with him.

xoxo

"Wow, those two are really good. Aren't they?" Barbara said in Beth's ear causing her to jump.

Beth had been so wrapped up in Keith's talent, that she hadn't noticed Barbara leaning toward her. "He's fantastic. Much more talented than I'd have guessed."

Barbara raised an eyebrow at her sister's changing of the compliment from both the brother and sister to just the brother. "A little taken with the young man, are we?"

"Oh, be serious Barbara. He's only fourteen years old." Beth hissed.

"And, he's your baby sister's crush." Barbara reminded her.

"Barbara, he's a kid. I am in no way interested in him for myself. Besides, who'd find that.." She waved toward Keith, "more attractive than Greg?"

"Apparently all of the girls here today. Including you." Barbara threw her a Cheshire cat grin.

"Barbara, knock it off. I am in no way, shape or form interested in that wet behind the ears young pup." Beth whispered vehemently. "Stand him next to Greg's six foot two inches and he definitely comes up short."

"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much…." Barbara said as she walked past to set down the bowl of chips she'd brought down from upstairs.

xoxo

Keith had been playing for at least two hours and had just finished 'Brown Eyed Girl'. He'd sung the song with more feeling than he'd ever done before and he wasn't quite sure why. He was still trying to process that thought, when Barbara finally broke up the supposed sing-along with the announcement that dinner was served upstairs. Barbara pulled Brenda upstairs so that the birthday girl could start the serving line.

Keith lagged behind to put his guitar away. He was just about to close the case, when he noticed blood on the fret of the guitar. He grabbed the towel that was kept in the case to clean off the blood and then glanced at his left hand. He'd known his fingers had been sore when he'd been playing, but he hadn't realized that he'd worn them raw.

"Are you alright?" Beth asked from behind him.

Keith jumped. He'd thought he was alone.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said and put his hands behind his back.

"I thought I saw blood on the towel. Are you bleeding?" Beth tried again. He was doing the typical male macho routine, if she didn't miss her guess.

"Not really." Keith said and turned back to the case.

"How can you be 'not really' bleeding? Either you are or you aren't?" Beth teased.

"It'll stop. It always does." Keith said and clicked the clasps closed on the case.

"Oh, so this is a common occurrence?" Beth put her hands on her hips. He was going to be difficult, was he?

"Only when I play for too long. I've been practicing a lot lately, since I got my new guitar for my birthday and every now and then I break open the blisters that are healing. Or, at least they're trying to heal. Anyway, don't worry about it. I'm fine." Keith turned back around and was floored once again by the beauty of the girl in front of him.

"Let me see." Beth put her hand out in demand.

"What? I said I'm fine." Keith had no desire to touch her. He had no idea how he'd react. From a distance, he could act all nonchalant. If he had to touch her, all bets were off.

"Give me your hand." Beth said firmly.

"Look, I'm really hungry. Let's just go up to dinner." Keith tried walking past her.

Beth grabbed his left arm when he walked by and let her hand trail down his arm to his wrist. She grabbed it firmly effectively stopping his forward progress. He'd have had to wrench it free to keep going and he wasn't about to make it seem like he didn't want her to touch him. He wanted her to touch him. Too much.

She lifted his wrist and then brought her other hand up to grab his hand and turn it over for her inspection. She gently pried his fingers open from the fist he had made to slow the bleeding.

"Oh, my. This is not just a little blood." Beth's breath wafted over Keith's hands as she sighed her surprise at the pain he must have experienced while playing.

"I'll just go run my hand under some cold water for a while. That usually helps." Keith tried to gently pull his hand away. Having felt her breath against his skin had caused his body to react in ways he had no desire for her to realize.

"Come on, there's a sink behind the wet bar." Beth tugged him toward the bar.

Keith followed like a puppy. She had won him over without even trying.

"Why didn't you stop playing once you realized you were bleeding?" Beth asked as she turned on the faucet and held his hand under the running water.

"I wasn't sure I was bleeding. Sometimes my fingers just get sore, but there's no blood." Keith answered honestly.

"Well, why don't you stop when your fingers are sore?" Beth asked surprised that he would keep playing knowing he was causing injury to himself.

"Because I want to get better. No pain, no gain. You know the saying." Keith shrugged.

"Well, I think you can lay off the practicing until your fingers heal. You're quite good already." Beth told him. She grabbed a towel laying next to the sink and gently began to dry his fingers and hand.

"Thanks, but I'm nowhere close to where I want to be." Keith winced slightly as the dry towel caught on a loose piece of skin causing his middle finger to start bleeding again.

"Where's that?" Beth asked without looking up from her task.

"Where's what?" Keith hadn't followed her train of thought.

"Where do you want to be?" Beth asked as she pulled out a box of band aids from a nearby drawer.

"Oh, well I'd like to make my living from playing music." Keith answered without thinking. "But, don't tell anyone that. No one else knows that."

"So you've just told me one of your deepest, darkest secrets, hmmm?" Beth looked up and smiled at him. Now that she was standing so close to him she realized that he was just ever so slight taller than her. Not as short as she'd thought.

"Guess so." Keith blushed as he glanced away.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." Beth smiled at him when his eyes flew back to her face. "Besides, you're already very close to being good enough to follow your dreams."

"You really think so?" Keith asked quietly.

"I do. You have a wonderful voice." Beth smiled at the suddenly shy young man.

When had she started thinking of him as a young man rather than a boy? At that thought, she quickly dropped his hand and brusquely continued, "Well, let's get upstairs. You said you were hungry, right?"

"Sure." Keith vaguely agreed. He'd been drowning in her smiling brown eyes when the look in them had suddenly changed from warm to cold. It had knocked him off balance. Well, that and the fact that he finally realized why the song 'Brown Eyed Girl' had meant so much more to him today than ever before.

xoxo

"Partridge, you dog!" Skizzy whispered so only Gordy and Keith could hear him.

"What are you talking about?" Keith asked having just sat down Indian-style on the grass next to his two friends to eat the plate of food he'd filled from the table set up for the party-goers.

"We saw you come up at least ten minutes after the rest of us – and in the company of the gorgeous older sister." Skizzy continued in a whisper.

"She put a band-aid on my bleeding finger." Keith said and stuck his middle finger up in the air at his friend in the age old gesture. It just so happened that said finger now had a band-aid on it. The gesture made Keith feel a whole lot better.

"Nice, Partridge. Very classy." Skizzy stuck his nose in the air.

"What? I was just showing you my bandaged finger." Keith grinned innocently at his friend.

"He's got you there, Skiz." Gordy laughed at his friends' antics. "There most definitely is a bandage on the very finger he showed you."

"Yeah, but he didn't have to show it to me the way he did." Skizzy continued to act hurt.

"So, why'd you need a band-aid. You get a boo-boo?" Gordy laughed at his own joke.

"I've been practicing with my new guitar so much, I've developed a few blisters that break open every once in a while." Keith told him.

"See, Skiz? Perfectly good explanation for why he spent quality time alone with the older, hotter sister." Gordy waved a fork full of potato salad at his friend.

"Knock it off before someone hears you." Keith tried shushing his friends. He could handle their teasing, but he didn't need it known all over town that he had the hots for an older woman.

xoxo

After everyone had eaten their fill, the cake was brought out and a chorus of 'Happy Birthday' was dutifully sung. Brenda beamed her pleasure at the beautiful cake that announced her as an official teenager. She was fully ready to start her adult life – well as adult as a thirteen year old thinks her adult life will be.

She proceeded to open all her presents and lavished heartfelt 'thank yous' to all of the givers.

Brenda's parents watched from a distance but let her sisters continue to run the party for her. After the presents were all opened, the party returned to the house and the rec room sans parents once again.

The lights had been dimmed, and more music had been put on. Only now, the music was slower and more romantic.

Barbara announced to the party goers that it was time for the party games. When she made the statement, a collective groan was heard from the group of blasé teenagers and almost-teenagers. Who wanted to play charades or pin the tale on the donkey?

They were instructed to sit on the floor in a circle; spaced out in boy-girl, boy-girl fashion.

There was a collective gasp when an empty coke bottle was brought into the center of the circle and gently laid on its side. They'd all heard of it, but never played it. They were about to embark on their first game of spin-the-bottle.

They were quickly given the rules. The spinner and spinnee were to share a kiss on the lips. There were special rules for when a boy's spin landed on another boy, a girl's spin on another girl or when a brother's spin landed on a sister. Besides Keith and Laurie, there was one other brother/sister combo present at the party – the Olsen twins. After all, who could be expected to kiss their brother or sister on the lips? If a kiss on the lips was not an option, then it was a matter of accepting a truth or dare challenge.

Barbara glanced around the circle of kids noticing their nervousness. Kissing members of the opposite sex was thought about ALL the time. Actually doing it and in front of others was rather intimidating.

Barbara gave the bottle a strong spin, stepped out of the circle and said, "The person this lands on gets to spin the bottle for the first time. Have fun!"

Everyone held their breath as the bottle began to slow. It stopped on Laurie.

Keith tensed. It was one thing for him to play a kissing game, but his little sister?

Laurie nervously reached for the bottle and with a little giggle, gave it a spin. The bottle slowed and eventually stopped on Gordy. Gordy nervously glanced at a glaring Keith and stammered, "Soooo, do I come by you or do you come by me?"

"The gentleman always stands for the lady." Barbara helpfully answered from the shadows.

"Make it short and sweet if you like living." Keith whispered to Gordy as he walked past while running his sweating palms down his pants legs.

He threw a nervous glance at Keith and continued around the outside of the circle coming up behind Laurie. Laurie turned her face up to him and he bent over placing the quickest kiss in the history of the world, just barely on her lips.

He glanced over at Keith to see him nod slightly. He would live to see another day and hopefully another kiss – with someone other than Keith's sister.

"Alright, Gordy. Your turn." Barbara coached from the side of the room.

"It better land on either Keith or Brenda pretty soon for this plan to work." Beth whispered in her ear.

"I've got my fingers crossed." Barbara whispered back. The whole reason for this game was to get Keith to kiss Brenda and have her dreams come true.

After playing for about a half an hour, Keith had yet to have the bottle land on him for which he was eternally grateful. It had landed on Laurie several times and he'd had to send warning glares to each of the guys who was required to kiss her. Those spins that hadn't resulted in kisses had seen truth or dare options that were tame to say the least. Barbara and Beth smiled at the lack of creativity shown by the younger kids. They'd played the game with older kids and had found out some secrets about people that would never be forgotten.

They both sighed when the bottle finally landed on Keith. Unfortunately it had been spun by Laurie. They both frowned at each other.

"Well, at least he has to spin it now." Barbara noticed Beth's nod of agreement.

"Truth or dare, brother dear." Laurie smiled at her brother.

Keith paused. He'd been about to say dare, but the look in his sister's eyes had stopped him. She had a plan that he wasn't aware of and was pretty sure he wanted no part of. "Truth." He finally said with eyes narrowed in warning.

Laurie paused to think about it. She thought of several questions and discarded most of them. She discarded them because she knew that if she asked them, he'd make her pay. For every second of embarrassment she caused him, he would visit hours of retribution on her head. She finally settled on something she thought was safe, "Have you ever gotten drunk?"

"Yes." Keith answered truthfully.

Laurie gasped at his answer and couldn't stop the "When?!?!" from falling from her lips.

"That's two questions. I only have to answer one." Keith reminded her wickedly. That had not been a bad question at all.

He grabbed the bottle and spun it. He watched it rotate and wished with all his heart that Beth was one of the girls sitting around the circle. Without her there, he really didn't care where it landed.

However, three sisters in the room all held their breath and fervently hoped that it would land on Brenda. He'd spun the bottle so hard that they were all close to passing out when it finally stopped and landed on Pam Peterson. The only person in the whole room that the sisters had not wanted the bottle to land on.

Pam had been invited only because Brenda's parents had insisted. They were neighbors and their parents were good friends. Unfortunately, Brenda and Pam were sworn enemies. Not only because they both wanted Keith, but because Pam had been mean to just about everyone that Brenda cared about at one time or another over the years. She simply was not a very nice person.

Keith had walked over and nonchalantly dropped a kiss on Pam's lips. She'd tried to get her hands around his neck, but he'd been too fast. He was already strolling away when Pam realized she'd missed her chance.

Pam quickly grabbed the bottle and spun it. If it landed on Keith, which she fervently hoped it would, she planned to make the next one last for a whole lot longer.

The bottle landed on Skizzy. She frowned her disappointment. However, her disappointment was not shared by Skizzy and he took full advantage of his opportunity to kiss a girl who had always looked down on him. He grabbed her face and planted a sloppy kiss on her lips that lasted at least 15 seconds.

When he finally pulled away, the group of kids was cheering loudly. Skizzy threw his hands up in victory while Pam wiped her arm across her mouth and shouted, "That was disgusting!"

She was totally devastated when she looked over at Keith and saw him laughing just as hard as everyone else. He even went so far as to clap Skizzy on the back when he'd sat back down.

Brenda and Laurie did their best to hide their smiles behind their hands. They were both glad that Pam had gotten hers. No one deserved it more.

Barbara and Beth could see that their first plan wasn't going to work and they were running out of time. The party was about to end; parents would begin showing up soon to pick up their kids.

They broke it up and said that they needed a few minutes to set up the next game. Everyone should mingle and listen to the music.

Beth watched Barbara grab some paper from behind the bar and begin to madly start scribbling names. She tore the pieces of paper into equal parts, folded them neatly and put them in an empty bowl.

"Alright, new game." Barbara said suddenly.

"What do you have in mind?" Beth whispered to her older sister.

"It's a game called 'seven minutes in heaven'." Barbara announced and prayed this one worked. "We'll let the birthday girl be the first to pick a boys name from the bowl to see who she spends 7 minutes of heaven with….in the closet."

"You are the master." Beth whispered her awe at her sister. "But, what if she doesn't pick Keith's name?"

Barbara shot a smile and a wink over her shoulder. "Didn't you just call me the master? I've got it covered."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Brenda stood in front of her two sisters with a look of what could only be described as panic. "What are you doing? We never talked about this?"

"Just play along. It's a sure thing." Barbara whispered back.

"That's not it. Well, not all of it." Brenda continued in a whisper. "What do I do? You know. Once we're in the….."

"Oh, don't worry about that. He'll take the lead. I'm almost sure of it." Barbara assured her quickly. She'd been watching Keith all day and realized he wasn't exactly the shy, quiet type like he appeared at first glance. "Now go on. Pick his name."

Brenda wasn't quite sure what she meant by Keith taking the lead. She just knew she was both scared and thrilled beyond reason. "Which one is his name?"

"They all are, silly goose." Barbara grinned.

The boys, who had once again gravitated toward each other once the circle had been broken up, watched the three sisters whisper and then giggle.

"Oh, that can't be good." Keith said.

"What do you mean?" Gordy asked. He didn't have any sisters so had no idea what secretive females truly meant.

"Whenever Laurie and her friends get like that, I usually run in the opposite direction as fast as I can." Keith watched Brenda reach into the bowl and pull out one of the small squares of folded paper. "And, on that note, I'm outta here."

Keith had just put his foot on the bottom step of the stairs and was about to hightail it to safety, when Barbara grabbed the piece of paper from Brenda's nerveless fingers and said, "Brenda gets to spend her 7 minutes of heaven with Keith Partridge!"

"Damn, how did I know that?" Keith mumbled to himself as he was pulled back from his near escape by his traitor friends who were ecstatic to find that they weren't the ones chosen for this new game.

"Partridge, you lucky dog!" Gordy said in both awe and fear.

"Keith, I know you'd rather it be the older sister, but this is the chance of a lifetime." Skizzy reminded him quietly.

"Who's lifetime?" Keith asked in defeat as Barbara grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the closet door very near a nervous looking Brenda.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Barbara said as she pushed the two young people into the closet and closed the door. Her next words were said through the closed door. "You've got 7 minutes starting now. Have fun!"

Shortly after those words, the music was turned up and the cat-calls that had followed them into the closet were quickly hushed so as not to draw the attention of the parents upstairs.

"Keith? Where are you?" Brenda asked the darkness.

Keith thought about not answering her, but she had sounded a little scared or lost. "I'm right here."

Brenda reached out a hand and made contact with his warm stomach through the soft fabric of his sweater. She felt the muscles contract and pulled her hand back quickly. "Sorry."

Keith had been surprised by the contact of her palm on his stomach and had jerked back almost reflexively. Like any teenager, the contact had his mind going into directions that he was quite sure he should avoid at all costs. After all, they were only in here for seven minutes. It wasn't like he'd have all kinds of time to do what he was now thinking about doing.

At his continued silence, Brenda became even more nervous. What if he thought this had all been her idea? Well, actually, it kind of had been. Not really, though. She'd never heard of this game before her sisters had brought it up. Then again, they were doing this because she'd begged them to help her to get Keith to notice her. What if he ended up hating her for this? I mean, the kids were sure to talk about what had happened between the two of them. This could all backfire and instead of making Keith notice her, he could end up hating her. The last jumbled thoughts had her quickly saying, "I'm really sorry about this Keith." into the darkness.

"Why? It's not your fault." Keith assured her trying to get his bearings in the dark and take his mind off of their earlier intimate contact.

"Well, I think it just might be." Brenda had turned to face his voice as he'd moved since he'd last spoken.

"How's that?" Keith asked.

"You see, I really wanted you to notice me as a girl and well, I asked my sisters to help. This is apparently their solution." When Keith remained silent, she quickly continued. "I just wanted to go to the spring dance with you. And, I know you only see me as your kid sister's friend and that you don't see me as a girl. And I've tried to make you notice me, but you don't. And….." Her voice trailed off.

"So, you like me? Like that?" Keith asked the obvious.

"What gave it away?" Brenda asked in defeat.

"You did, just now." Keith pointed out.

"Oh, I am so going to die. I could…" Her words were cut off by Keith's lips covering hers. She gasped in surprise. How had he found her lips so accurately in the dark? She couldn't even see him. Yet, he'd just leaned toward her and had hit the mark on the first try. And, oh god, she was in heaven was her last thought before thought became impossible.

Keith pulled back relatively quickly. He'd only kissed her to stop her from babbling any longer. He was trying to process what she'd told him. Oh, she was pretty. He'd admit that, though he couldn't remember when it had happened or when he'd started to notice. And, after seeing her older sisters today, she would likely only get prettier as she grew up.

Once she recovered from her surprise at his kiss, she pulled him from his thoughts by starting to talk again. "Why'd you do that?"

"You didn't want me to?" Keith answered her question with a question. He wasn't ready to examine his real reason for kissing her just yet.

"Oh, it's not that. You just surprised me. Can we do it again?" She asked quickly, leaning forward in anticipation and pursing her lips like she would if she were kissing her grandmother.

Keith, like any teenage boy, could resist anything but temptation so he leaned in for another kiss. This time, he didn't take her by surprise and was surprised himself to find her lips pursed and much less responsive than the first time. "Relax." He instructed from mere inches away.

"What do you mean?" She asked in surprise.

"I'm not your grandfather. Don't kiss me like I am." Keith said and leaned back in. Once again, he'd shocked her and her mouth was slightly open and definitely relaxed.

He took the opportunity to try something he'd been meaning to try on a girl for quite some time but had never really had the chance. He traced her bottom lip with his tongue.

Brenda pulled back in surprise and whispered, "What was that?"

"You didn't like it?" Keith answered her question with a question again.

"No. I mean yes. What I mean is.......is that normal?" Brenda said in awe as she ran her tongue over the spot that had so recently had his tongue tracing the same pattern. She could still taste him. And, now that she was over her initial surprise, she realized she had really enjoyed the feeling and definitely liked the taste.

"Oh, yeah, very normal. Wanna try again?" Keith urged.

"Yes." Brenda agreed quickly and waited with bated breath for his next move.

His hands, which up until now had been at his sides were brought up and he put one hand on either side of her head to hold her steady. If he was going to do this, he wasn't about to let her pull back again quite so quickly. He leaned in and touched their lips together gently. Once he felt her relax into the sensation, he ran his tongue along her bottom lip again. He drew back slightly to gauge her reaction and felt her own tongue come out and trace the same pattern. It made him smile.

He leaned back in and this time instead of just running his tongue along her lips, he delved more deeply into her mouth and licked along her teeth. At her slight sigh of approval, he deepened the kiss even further.

He felt her hands come up and at first just rest along his ribs. But, after several deep sweeps of his tongue, her hands began to grasp the material of his sweater almost as if she feared he would pull back before she was ready.

He pulled back slightly to catch his breath and before he could lean back in, she was demanding, "More."

Without saying a word, he leaned back in. This time her mouth was already open and when he swept his tongue forward, it was greeted by her own. Up until now, she'd let him take the lead but now she had every intention of being a full participant. Her hands moved from his sides to wind around his neck without her even realizing it.

Oh, her sisters had never told her that kissing could be so absolutely wonderful! She was positively drowning in sensation after sensation.

Just as Keith's hands had drifted down from her face and wound tightly around her waist to draw her in more closely, there was a soft knock on the door.

"Times almost up. Make yourselves decent if you have to." Barbara teased through the closed portal.

She had no idea how close she was to the truth. Oh, she'd suspected that Keith might try something, and that had been their goal. She would however, be surprised to find that Keith had taken it as far as he had seeing up until this point, he'd never looked at Brenda in a romantic fashion.

Keith and Brenda broke apart rather quickly once Barbara's voice had penetrated their little dark haven.

"Oh, no. Everyone will know what we were doing?" Brenda whispered in panic.

"No, they won't." Keith told her. Oh, he knew they'd suspect. He knew for sure that his buddies would suspect what he'd done. But, unless they confirmed it, no one would be sure.

"You're sure?" Brenda calmed down after hearing his calm answer.

"Positive. Unless you tell them, of course." Keith assured her.

"Why would I do that?" Brenda frowned in his direction.

"I have no idea." Keith said and then finished in his head, 'I have no idea why girls talk about anything they talk about. But talk they do. Endlessly.'

Before Brenda could formulate another thought, Barbara opened the door and peeked into the door to make sure she wasn't opening the door on something no one else should see. What she found made her smile. Keith was leaning against the door jam with a very satisfied smirk on his face and her baby sister was standing there wide-eyed with her lips ever so slightly swollen and definitely wet from kissing.

"Wipe that look off your face Bren or the whole world will know what you've been up to." Barbara whispered to her and then turning to Keith said, "I sure had you pegged right."

"Who? Me?" Keith continued to grin.

Barbara rolled her eyes at his antics and pulled the door fully open. "Some of the parents have started to arrive. The party is breaking up. In fact, Keith, I think your ride is here already. You're going home with Skizzy's father right?"

"That's right. My parents aren't home tonight." Keith walked out of the closet and went directly to his guitar case. It was definitely time to get the hell out of Dodge.

He glanced to his left and found Beth watching him closely with a slight frown on her face. Keith threw her a grin and left the rec room without a backward glance.

xoxo

Laurie, Brenda, Beth and Barbara all sat in a circle on the floor in the rec room. While Keith was staying at Skizzy's, Laurie was staying at Brenda's while their parents stayed out late and left the youngest ones with a babysitter. This latest circle powwow was to discuss the latest turn of events in the match-making of Keith and Brenda.

"So, he made a move, didn't he?" Laurie asked Brenda who proceeded to blush a bright shade of red. "He did! I can tell!"

"Oh, he most certainly did." Added Barbara who had been the first to see the two of them upon opening the door.

"Details! Spill!" Laurie demanded.

"He kissed me!" Brenda said almost reverently and then hugged her arms around herself as if to hold those minutes close. Her arms broke out in goose bumps at the memory.

"We figured that, Bren. Laurie's right, we want details." Beth said, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the conversation but unwilling to explore why. She was most definitely not attracted to a boy 2 years younger than her. She had Greg, right?

"Well, at first I started talking and then I couldn't stop. The whole 'trying to get noticed' thing just came out. When I paused to take a breath he leaned in and kissed me. Just a quick peck on the lips." Brenda started her story with a dreamy look on her face.

Beth and Barbara exchanged a look that spoke volumes. They both figured that Keith had originally kissed her just to shut her up. They both knew how nervous Brenda could get. And, when Brenda was nervous, she talked – and talked – and talked. They both fought grins and turned back to their baby sister with fake serious looks on their faces.

"Then what?" Laurie urged, as she felt Brenda's pause to relive the minutes had lasted too long.

"Then he kissed me again. With his tongue." Laurie gasped in shock at this totally new development. Who knew you kissed with your tongue? Brenda looked from a shocked Laurie to her grinning sisters who could no longer hold them back. "You never told me that kissing involved more than just lips."

"Of course not. Didn't you enjoy finding out for yourself?" Barbara continued to grin like a proud mother hen.

Brenda nodded her head vigorously in agreement. "Oh, yes. I certainly did." Brenda's eyes returned to the still slightly shocked Laurie. "Sorry that you had to find out about kissing from me instead of a boy you really, really like."

"Oh, that's ok. I'll still enjoy experiencing it for the first time on my own." Laurie smiled her reassurance. She was still trying to process this new discovery. Did her parents kiss like that when they weren't around? Probably.

"Did he ask you to the spring dance?" Beth reminded everyone of their true end game.

She got her answer when she watched Brenda's happy smile slide from her features.

xoxo

"Come on Partridge. Spill." Gordy said from his sleeping bag.

"Nope." Keith said not even bothering to raise his head from the pillow.

They were camped in Skizzy's back yard in the family's tent. They'd made the plans to spend the night together while planning their concert trip that had been spiked. It had originally been the reason that Keith and Gordy could spend the night at Skizzy's when in reality they were going to be in Frisco. However, once the concert was a dead deal, the camping idea had stayed. Surprisingly, none of the parents had said no even though the boys had been grounded earlier for their plans. The grounding had ended just a few short days earlier, so they were able to keep their plans to camp out.

Skizzy came through the tent flaps and forgot to zip it up behind him. He was carrying a lantern, a paper bag and several bags of chips which he tossed onto the tent floor. They had the midnight munchies. "He's still not talking?"

"Not a peep. Don't let him have any of the chips if he doesn't talk." Gordy suggested.

"I've got something better. Mark left it with me before he left for the concert. He called it my consolation prize." Skizzy said as he pulled a six pack of beer from the paper bag.

Keith and Gordy both popped up into sitting positions as soon as they saw Skizzy's loot.

"Cool." They both said as they reached for a can.

"There's more. He also left me a fifth of whiskey. Wanna try it?" Skizzy asked as he pulled the bottle from the bag.

There was a pause as Gordy and Keith looked at the bottle dangling from Skizzy's hand. They'd gotten drunk together before, but always on beer. They'd never tried any liquor. They looked at each other and then back at Skizzy.

"I'm not sure. Keith?" Gordy looked a little anxious.

"Oh, come on. Don't be a chicken." Skizzy goaded.

"Hand it over." Keith said bravely. He'd been as unsure as Gordy had been, but as soon as Skizzy brought up the chicken word, he pushed them aside. No one, and I mean no one, called Keith Partridge a chicken.

Skizzy placed the bottle in Keith's extended hand and watched him crack the paper seal. Keith lifted it to his nose and had to force himself not to make a face at the strong odor emanating from the amber liquid.

He glanced up to see his two friends watching him closely. That was all he needed to see to bring the bottle to his lips. He tilted it and let the liquid pour into this mouth. It burned. He forced himself to swallow and, if he'd thought the burn in his mouth was bad, the burn going down his throat was twice as bad. He tried vainly to stop the cough from escaping, but it was no use.

Skizzy reached over to slap him on the back. "You alright Partridge?"

"Fine." Keith croaked as he finally got his breath back. "Your turn."

Skizzy grabbed the bottle and looked at it with trepidation. "I don't know."

"It's not that bad." Keith assured him in a more normal voice.

"Right. That's why you practically hacked up a lung just now." Skizzy shot a look of disbelief at his friend.

"Just don't take as big a swallow as I did." Keith instructed. When Skizzy still paused, he continued. "Don't be a chicken, Skiz."

Just as the words had gotten Keith to take a swig, Skizzy quickly brought the bottle to his lips, before he could think too much about it, he took a small swallow. Even still, he began to cough.

"Your turn Gordy." Keith said as Skizzy helpfully held the bottle out while wiping the tears from his eyes with the other.

Gordy didn't even bother trying to escape. He knew that his pride wouldn't let him. He barely sipped from the bottle and coughed heartily even at that.

"Give it back. It's gotta be easier going down the second time, right?" Keith reached for the bottle and bravely took a second drink. He just barely stilled the urge to cough, but was proud of himself as he handed it back to Skizzy while rasping. "Smooth."

They handed it around the circle until it was gone; the beer long forgotten. By the time Skizzy grabbed the empty bottle from Keith, they were all giggling almost uncontrollably.

"Wha's so funny?" Keith slurred at Skizzy who had collapsed onto his side in a fit of laughter.

"Didya see Gordy's face when he took his first little 'hic' sip?" Skizzy slurred back.

The three of them collapsed into an extended fit of laughter.

When Gordy could finally breathe again, he sat up and looked seriously at Keith. Well, as serious as a drunk fourteen year old can look. "So, Partridge, are you gonna tell us what happened in that closet or do I have to come over there and make you?"

"You couldn't stand if you wanted to, Gordo." Skizzy reminded him and then turned to Keith. "But, he's right. I'll help him stand up and make you if you don't spill the whole story, Keith."

"Alright, fine, I'll tell you." Keith waved off their supposed attempt to make him talk. "I kissed her."

"Is that all?" Skizzy asked. "You had seven whole minutes."

"Well, first she tried to talk my ear off. That's why I kissed her the first time." Keith admitted. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do at first. All I knew is that she wouldn't shut up, so I did it for her."

"Way to go!" Both of Keith's friends applauded his ingenuity.

Keith proceeded to give them a blow-by-blow of the full seven minutes in the closet not realizing he was doing exactly what he'd assumed Brenda would be doing with her friends.

"I have got to try that." Gordy said in awe when Keith was done.

"Go for it. But first you have to find a girl willing to kiss you." Keith teased.

"Hey, there are lots of girls willing to date the Gord Man." Gordy bragged.

"Oh, yeah? Name one." Keith egged.

"Well, of course, there's……" Gordy trailed off as he searched his foggy memory for a name.

"I've met her. She's ugly as a dog." Skizzy teased.

"Ok, so I can't think of anyone right now. What about you Skiz? Who are you gonna try French kissing on?" Gordy turned the tables.

"I'm gonna kiss Pam Peterson…..again." Skizzy announced with a superiority that fell short. When he threw his head back with the announcement, he overbalanced and ended up just barely catching himself before he fell over backwards.

"The same Pam Peterson who wiped her sleeve across her mouth after you kissed her?" Keith said through his laughter.

"That was just for show. She's got the hots for me. I know it." Skizzy said carefully so as not to lose his balance again.

"Oh really? That's not what I heard." Gordy said through a yawn.

"What'd you hear?" Keith couldn't help but ask.

"I heard that she's planning on having you take her to the dance." Gordy said as he tried to pick the real Keith out of the three that wavered in front of his eyes.

"What? No way! Never!" Keith said vehemently.

"Why not?" Skizzy asked surprised at Keith's fervor.

"She was mean to Laurie just the other week." Keith said and then realized how that might sound to his friends and added. "Besides, she's not my type."

"You have a type?" Gordy gaped.

"He does." Skizzy reminded all of them. "She's sixteen and the catch of San Pueblo High. The guy sure does set his sights high, doesn't he?"

"Sorry to break it to ya, Keith. I just don't see Beth Morgan making an entrance on your arm at a junior high dance." Gordy said sadly.

"You're both drunk. I do not have a thing for Beth Morgan. In fact, I'll probably ask Brenda to go." Keith said while slowly dying inside at having to settle for what he considered second best.

"Is the tent spinning?" Gordy unexpectedly changed the subject.

"No." Skizzy slurred.

"I don't feel so good." Gordy said just before stumbling to his feet and pushing out of the tent to lose the alcohol on Skizzy's back lawn.

"Guess he can't hold his liquor." Skizzy giggled and fell to his side; passed out.

Keith helped Gordy back to his sleeping bag and washed away the evidence with the garden hose before stumbling back to his own sleeping bag and passing out. The last thing they needed was proof positive that they had once again broken the rules laid down by their parents.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Keith dragged himself out of the backseat of Skizzy's dad's car. He was hung-over; there was no doubt about that. The sun was causing sharp needles of pain to trace from his eyes and into his brain. Every muscle in his body ached. Even his hair hurt.

If he didn't miss his mark, Gordy and Skizzy were in as bad of shape as he was. They both sat quietly and barely lifted a hand to wave good-bye to Keith as he watched the car pull away.

"No more whiskey for me." Keith mumbled to himself as he turned from the street and headed slowly and painfully toward the front door.

He had hoped to be able to sneak up to his room and take a nap before anyone realized he was home. He'd just use the excuse that they hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and he was bushed.

Within seconds of stepping through the front door, his plans to sleep off the worst of his symptoms were spiked by his dad's cheerful voice.

"Hey, Keith. Ready to get started on that yard work?" He boomed from just outside the kitchen door.

Keith winced as the loud sound reverberated in his head and threw a weak smile in his direction, "Sure, dad. Just let me go and throw this stuff in my room."

"Alright, I'll meet you outside in a few." With those words, his dad turned around and walked back into the kitchen.

Keith sighed and headed toward the stairs. Today would be a day of torture.

xoxo

Shirley watched her husband and oldest son tackle the yard work while washing the lunch dishes. The three youngest kids had been put down for their naps. Keith had barely touched his food. He'd said it was because he'd eaten too much at Skizzy's, but she wasn't sure. His eyes were bloodshot and he appeared almost listless. If she didn't miss her mark, she thought he was coming down with something. Her first thought had been that he was hung-over, but she didn't want to believe that Keith was drinking at such a young age. She'd have to remember to talk to Dan about it that night.

She glanced over her shoulder when she heard Laurie announce her entrance through the front door.

"In the kitchen, honey." Shirley called. "How were the party and the sleepover?"

"Both were a blast! Can I have a party when I turn thirteen?" Laurie asked as she dropped her small suitcase on the floor and sat down at the kitchen table.

"We'll see, but I don't see why not." Shirley smiled at her. "You look a little tired."

"We didn't get much sleep. We talked ALL night." Laurie grinned at her mom.

"I remember. So you had a good time?" Shirley asked again.

"The best. Brenda's sisters are really cool. They spent the night with us and we stayed up late talking about boys and things." Laurie chatted away about their time together while Shirley listened and smiled. Her little girl was growing up. She noticed that the talk centered on boys even more than the last time they'd had a good mother-daughter chat. It wouldn't be long before she was asking to go on a date. Shirley hoped it was a while before she asked, but she knew it wouldn't be too much longer.

"Oh, mom, I almost forgot to tell you. Brenda and Keith kissed yesterday!" Laurie announced.

Shirley, who'd been looking back out the window and watching her two men work up a sweat, turned quickly to her daughter once again, "What did you say?"

"I said, Mom, that Keith and Brenda kissed." Laurie announced importantly. "Remember? I told you that Brenda liked Keith and wanted him to ask her to the end of the school year dance."

"I remember. But what does that have to do with them kissing?" Shirley asked. Oh, she most definitely was not ready to have her kids grow up.

"Well, Brenda asked her sisters to help and they weren't having any success. In fact, my stubborn brother was doing his best to completely ignore Brenda all day. Do you know that he disappeared for like an hour right in the middle of the party?" Laurie told her.

"What does any of that have to do with kissing?" Shirley asked again.

"I'm getting to that part." Laurie grinned. "Anyway, we ended up playing spin the bottle. But that didn't work either. The bottle never landed on Keith or Brenda at the right time."

Shirley had heard about the game Laurie was talking about and was shocked that the Morgan's would let young teens and pre-teens play the game at the birthday party. She'd have to check this out.

"Go on." Shirley urged her needing to understand what Laurie was trying to tell her but taking her own sweet time about it.

"I had to kiss Gordy." Laurie would have continued, but her Mom's loud, 'What?' stopped her. "Oh, don't worry Mom, Gordy was a complete gentleman. I think Keith glared him into being way too scared to try anything."

"Oh, good." Shirley relaxed a little after hearing that and glanced out at her son who was moving slowly, but still working hard next to his father.

"It's Keith you should be worried about." Laurie pulled her mother's attention back into the kitchen.

"Keith? Why do you say that?" Shirley asked not sure she really wanted to hear the rest.

"The last game we played was called seven minutes in heaven. And, Keith and Brenda were the two picked to play it." Laurie continued to happily relay her story not realizing that her mother was standing there in almost complete shock. "They went into the closet and stayed there for seven whole minutes. Brenda told us later that Keith kissed her. Mom, he used his tongue. Is that normal?"

Shirley quickly brought herself back to the present, had her daughter just asked her if kissing with your tongue was normal? After looking at her daughter's expectant face, she knew she had. Oh, she'd hoped to delay this part of 'the talk' for a little longer. She didn't want her growing up too fast, but if she was going to be exposed to certain things by her friends, it was definitely time to talk.

"Yes, Laurie, it's very normal." Shirley said as she pulled out the chair next to her daughter and settled in for a long chat. She mentally reminded herself to make sure that Dan had covered all the bases with Keith too. She knew they'd already had their own 'talk' a couple of years ago, but it may be time for a refresher course.

xoxo

"Keith, are you alright?" Dan asked as he walked up behind his son who was moving as if he was a hundred years old. He almost looked like he was in pain.

"Fine, dad. Why?" Keith asked as he spun around quickly. He hadn't heard him come up behind him.

"Are you sure? You're not yourself today." Dan tried again.

"I'm just tired. We didn't sleep much last night." Keith threw him a weak smile. He was fighting his stomach from rejecting the small lunch he'd eaten less than a half an hour ago. Keeping his mind full of pictures of the beautiful Beth Morgan from the day before had been the only thing saving him from loosing his lunch all over the lawn.

"Alright, then let's get the paint out and paint the front fence. After that, we can probably call it a day." Dan said as he turned to the garage.

'Just great.' Keith thought. He was almost certain the smell of the paint would be his undoing. He had to delay that project at almost any cost. "Hey, dad. Can that wait a second?"

"Why? What's up?" Dan asked.

"I'd like to talk to you for a minute." Keith really did want some advice and now would be a really good time considering the alternative. "Can we talk in the garage?"

"Sure. Come on." Dan put his arm around his son and pulled him into the garage.

Dan sat down on the piano bench while Keith perched on a stool that was just to the left of his dad. After a few minutes of silence, Dan decided his son needed a little gentle prodding.

"Does this have anything to do with a girl?" Dan smiled gently at his son.

"How'd you guess?" Keith's head turned quickly to look at his dad and he regretted the quick movement. He swallowed heavily and concentrated on staying still.

"Well, when teenage boys get as distracted as you are today, it usually means a girl is involved." When Keith remained silent, Dan tried drawing him out again. "Is she pretty?"

"She's beautiful." Keith said almost reverently.

Dan smiled at his son's answer. "I'll bet she is. She's sure knocked you for a loop."

"How do I go about asking her out?" Keith looked at his dad expectantly.

"Well, now, that's different with every girl. You need to tailor your approach to each particular female." Dan skirted the question. He hadn't tried landing a woman since he'd met the love of his life and started a family with her. Now, here he was trying to give advice to his growing son about how to pick up women.

"How'd you get mom?" Keith asked.

Dan smiled as he thought back to his first meeting with the gorgeous blond who he now called 'wife'. "That's a great story. You really want to hear it?" At Keith's nod, Dan continued. "The first time I saw your mother, I was smitten. She was the most stunning woman I'd ever remembered laying eyes on. She was walking with her friends across the quad at college. The sun hit her shining hair and I was sure the halo around her head was because she was an angel."

Dan smiled in recollection and continued. "The first time I went up to her to talk to her, I froze. She'd looked up and smiled at me. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. As I stood there stunned, the smile slipped from her face. I must have looked like a landed trout with my mouth hanging open in awe and no words coming out."

His description made Keith laugh. "Well, your second meeting must have gone better, right?"

"Not much. I nearly ran her over when I was late for one of my classes. I knocked her books out of her arms and she fell, skinning her knees. She just looked at me totally stunned and I babbled apologies while trying to help her up. I backed away still apologizing before hightailing it to my class." Dan grinned at his memories.

"So, how'd you win her over?" Keith was surprised at his father's ineptitude with women. He'd always thought of him as a charmer.

"Eventually, I talked myself into seeing her as just another girl. Once I got over my nervousness around her and just talked to her like a normal person, she started seeing that I was a nice guy." Dan explained but left out a pretty long stretch of time where he stayed awkward and speechless around the woman he still thought was the most beautiful woman in the world. His son was asking for advice. He didn't need to know that his dad wasn't the suave smooth man he looked up to.

"That can't be all." Keith said a little disappointed by the explanation.

"No, that's not all. I also used my pitiful song writing skills and wrote her a love song. It was truly awful, but she loved it. When I asked her to the movies after that, she smiled at me and said 'yes'. We started dating exclusively after that and by the end of the school year, I'd asked her to marry me. As soon as I graduated, I put a ring on her finger. Oh, but I was a fool for that woman." Dan said.

"Still are." Keith reminded him with a grin.

"Yeah, I guess I am. But I picked the right one and that's all that matters. I can die a happy man." Dan teased.

Keith's grin widened at his father's joking but then felt his face fall as the reality of his situation sank in. "Oh, what's the difference? She'll never take me seriously."

"Why not?" Dan asked surprised by the response.

"She's sixteen." Keith admitted quietly.

"Oh, an older woman." Dan teased with a grin.

"It's not funny, dad." Keith said sadly.

"No, I suppose it's not. Tell me about her." Dan suggested; trying to keep Keith talking about it. He wanted to find out more about this 'older woman' who had turned his son's head.

Keith sighed heavily and finally decided that he had no better source of help. Skizzy and Gordy sure weren't helping. They were as clueless as he was on how to go about winning the girl of his dreams. "She's got beautiful blond hair and the deepest brown eyes you've ever seen. They sparkle when she laughs and she's got these dimples. Oh dad, it's not fair. Why couldn't I have been born earlier?"

"Sorry, son. It's one of those lessons we all have to learn. Nothing comes easy. And, if it does, it's probably not worth having." At Keith's sad look Dan continued. "Keith, you're probably right. At your age, this girl will never look at you as 'date' material. Now, once you're older, that age gap won't mean as much."

"I know. I'd just hoped." Keith trailed off.

"Keith, isn't there a girl your own age that you like just a little?" Dan asked hopefully.

"I suppose." Keith said thinking back to how much he'd enjoyed kissing Brenda. If he'd thought about it he'd have realized how ludicrous it was to be thinking about dating the sister of a girl he was infatuated with, but that thought had yet to cross his mind.

"Why don't you ask her out?" Dan asked. "Don't you have a school dance coming up next weekend?"

"Yeah." Keith said listlessly.

"Oh, come on, son. Ask this other girl out. You'll have a great time and forget all about 'Miss Unattainable'." Dan suggested.

"You think so?" Keith asked hopefully.

"Sure." Dan lied. He'd been lucky enough to fall head-over-heels in love with the woman who ended up being his wife. He'd wished the same for his son, but he knew life wasn't always fair. He just hoped his son's heart wasn't broken in the process.

"I guess I could ask Brenda to the dance." Keith agreed. He noticed that since they'd been sitting in the shadowy garage that he didn't feel as bad either. It must have been a combination of the sun and his hang-over. All he had to do was stay in the garage and he might just make it through the day. "So, wanna write some bad music together?" He suggested hopefully.

"Ha, that sounds like a fine idea. Let's do it." Dan had been realizing that Keith's musical talent far outpaced his and was only too happy to feed his son's dreams in this respect. He figured he was heading toward heartache, but no good songwriter had written a great song without experiencing love and the heartache that can often go with it.

xoxo

"Hi, is Brenda there?" Keith asked the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Sure, just a minute." He could tell the person had put their hand over the mouth piece and said something to someone near them before talking directly to him once again. "Is this Keith?"

"Yes, it is. Who's this?" Keith asked almost dreading the answer.

"It's Beth. How's your finger?" Beth asked before she could stop herself. She'd sent Barbara to get Brenda who was in their parent's room getting her dress for the dance hemmed.

"It's fine." Keith answered and then sat there stumped as to what else to say.

"Oh, good. It looked pretty bad." Beth too was nervous to talk to him for some reason.

"No, really, it's alright." Keith said lamely.

"Good." Beth repeated herself and then searched her mind for something else to say. What was taking Brenda so long to come to the phone? "Did you have a good time at the party last night?"

"Sure. Did you?" Keith rolled his eyes at himself. Oh, brilliant Partridge, she was there as a chaperone not as an attendee.

"Sure, it was fun. I enjoyed listening to you play your guitar." Beth said and then could have kicked herself for bringing that up. Keith was her sister's soon to be boyfriend, hopefully.

"Ummm, thanks." Keith said a little embarrassed. Good thing she couldn't see him blushing lightly.

"Oh, here she is. See you around." Beth said quickly and handed the phone to her excited sister who'd thrown on a robe after removing her pinned dress.

"Hi, this is Brenda." Brenda hoped her voice wasn't shaking from her excitement.

"Hi, Brenda. It's Keith." Keith paused looking for the courage to ask her to the dance.

"Oh, hi Keith. How are you?" Brenda beamed at her sisters who'd stayed in the room to listen in on the conversation.

"I'm fine. You?" Keith mumbled.

"I'm really great." When Keith didn't say anything, Brenda's smile dimmed and she asked. "So why'd you call?"

"Oh, yeah, right. I was wondering……how'd you like to go to the dance next week?" Keith stumbled over the question.

"With you?" Brenda wanted to be very clear about his question.

"Yeah, it'd be like a date." Keith said lamely.

"I'd like that. What time should I be ready?" Brenda had to fight with all her might to keep the squeal of pleasure inside.

"Ummmm……I'll pick you up at say 7:00?" Keith suggested.

"That'd be great. See you then. Bye." Brenda waited to hear Keith say good-bye too and then hung up the phone. As soon as she knew for sure the line was no longer connected, she turned to her sisters and screamed, "He asked me to the dance! Pam Peterson, eat your heart out."

Barbara and Beth celebrated with their sister. No one noticed that Beth's smile was just a little forced.

xoxo

Dan and Shirley had put the youngest kids to bed an hour ago and had been surprised when Keith had followed shortly after. Laurie had stayed up only minutes longer before her yawns had made Shirley suggest she head upstairs too. Apparently both of them were exhausted from their sleep-overs.

After the house had settled into silence, Shirley looked at her husband who was reading the paper and said, "Dan, do you think Keith was hung-over today?"

"You noticed that too, hmmm?" Dan looked up from his paper and waved his wife from her chair to join him on the couch.

"He's too young to be drinking." Shirley pointed out as she snuggled up to her husband who had pulled her under his arm.

"Hopefully they're just experimenting. I've never noticed him being hung-over before today. Let's hope it's a phase." Dan suggested as he nuzzled his nose into his wife's sweet smelling hair.

"Maybe you should talk to him about it." Shirley twined her fingers with Dan's hand that was around her shoulder.

"I could. Or, I could just wait and see what happens." Dan made a quick decision to tell Shirley parts of the conversation he'd had with Keith earlier that day. "Did you know that he's smitten with an older woman?"

"Older?!?! How much older?" Shirley pulled away to look at Dan's face.

"It's alright, honey. She's only sixteen. Remember, we're three years apart." Dan told her.

"Yes, but at Keith's age, that two years is the Grand Canyon." Shirley pointed out.

"I know. I tried steering him to a younger girl and you heard the results of that a short while ago when Keith asked Laurie's friend Brenda to the dance next weekend." Dan reminded her.

"You know, Laurie and Brenda have been scheming with Brenda's sisters to get Keith to notice her." Shirley told him. She loved this time of night when they shared all of their stories about their children. They spent so much time with them separately that if they didn't compare notes, they could easily miss out on something very important.

"No kidding. Brenda has older sisters?" Dan was starting to suspect that Keith's crush might just be one of Brenda's older sisters.

"Yes, Laurie told me all about the fact that the Morgan's let Barbara and Beth chaperone Brenda's birthday party. Did you know that they played spin-the-bottle and another game called seven minutes in heaven?" Shirley was still shocked by what Laurie had told her. Thankfully, Laurie hadn't realized her mom's shock or she might not have told her.

"That wasn't wise, was it?" Dan agreed.

"No, apparently Barbara worked it so that Keith and Brenda were the two who spent seven minutes alone together in a closet. Apparently, Keith and Brenda kissed. Intimately." Shirley relayed.

"You don't say." Dan was just glad to hear that Keith had wanted to kiss Brenda. If he was so in love with the older girl, he wouldn't have kissed Brenda. It relieved him to know that the older woman would likely drop off of Keith's radar and he could stop worrying about her.

"Dan, aren't you concerned about what your son is doing with girls?" Shirley was surprised by his nonchalance.

"Kissing?" Dan laughed lightly. "Actually, Shirl, I'd be concerned if he wasn't kissing girls at his age. He's normal, sweetheart. He's doing the exact same thing I would have been doing at his age if I'd had the opportunity."

"Oh? You were kissing girls when you were fourteen?" Shirley asked archly her jealousy obvious to her husband.

"I said, 'if I'd had the opportunity'. You know you're the first girl I ever wanted to kiss." Dan told her sweetly.

"You are such a bad liar, Dan. But, I love you for it anyway." Shirley grinned at his slick choice of words.

"Oh, thank God, because I love you beyond reason." Dan pulled his beautiful wife in for a long kiss. "Let's go upstairs and practice making babies."

"Dan, we already have five babies. I don't think we need to practice anymore." Shirley laughed at his silliness.

"Oh, really? I'm sure there are some areas that could be improved upon. Care to try?" Dan leered at her.

"Only if you can catch me." Shirley said as she jumped up from the couch and dashed up the stairs.

Dan didn't even try to catch her. He stayed downstairs to lock the doors and turn off the lights. He knew Shirley would be waiting for him in their bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Keith picked Brenda up at 7:00 as promised. They sat in the back seat while his dad drove them to the school. It had been worked out that Keith and Brenda would walk home from the dance as the Morgan's weren't very far from the school. Keith would have to walk home alone from there, but San Pueblo was safe and Keith had been exerting his independence for over a year. He'd simply announced that he would be walking home and that neither one of his parents needed to stay up and baby sit him.

He'd wanted to walk to the dance too, instead of being driven, but Shirley had pointed out that Brenda might appreciate the ride as she would likely be in heels. Keith finally agreed after his dad sided with his mom.

Now, they were standing in the gym with the rest of the kids from junior high and searching vainly for things to talk about.

"Would you like some punch?" Keith finally asked in desperation after several minutes of awkward silence.

"Sure, that'd be great." Brenda quickly agreed. She'd been nervously chewing her lip trying to think of something to say.

"I'll be right back." Keith said as he left her to get the drink.

He walked up to the punch bowl where Skizzy and Gordy were whispering madly to each other.

"What's up, guys?" Keith asked as he picked up a paper cup and the ladle from the bowl.

"Oh, it's just you." Gordy had jumped a mile high as if guilty of something.

"Yeah, it's just me. What's up?" Keith asked again. He could tell by their nervousness that they were up to no good. Neither had found the courage to ask a girl to the dance so had come stag. He was almost sorry he had a date. He loved causing trouble with his two best friends.

Oh, who was he kidding – he liked girls more than getting in trouble with his buddies.

"Nothin'." Skizzy said too quickly.

Keith set down the cup that he'd filled and looked directly at his two best friends. "It's not nothin' or you wouldn't be acting like it's something."

"Keep it down." Gordy hissed and watched Keith's eyebrow raise in question while he stayed quiet. "Alright, fine. We'll tell you."

"We will?" Skizzy looked at Gordy in shock. "The less people who know, the less likely we are to get in trouble."

"Oh, like Keith would turn us in." Gordy reminded him.

"That's true. Alright, then…." Skizzy leaned forward and whispered in Keith's ear.

"Did you do it already?" Keith asked while looking at the cup of punch he'd already filled and had planned to take to Brenda.

"No, but we're about to." Gordy whispered. "Stand with Skizzy and block everyone's view, alright?"

Keith and Skizzy played view blockers while Gordy dumped alcohol into the punch bowl.

"Alright, all done." Gordy announced as he moved quickly away from the scene of his crime. "I'm off to the bathroom to get rid of the evidence."

"What'd he put in there?" Keith asked while watching him walk away.

"Why do you ask?" Skizzy asked.

"Well, if it's whiskey I'll take a pass this time." Keith grinned at his friend who had suffered as much as he had the day after their last drinking session.

"I know what you mean. That was a wicked morning after. We filched some vodka from Gordy's dad's liquor cabinet. Interested in trying that?" Skizzy grinned back.

"I'm game." Keith said and filled a second cup from the bowl, this one for him.

"Don't mix up the cups. Wouldn't want little Brenda getting drunk now would you?" Skizzy winked at Keith as he walked back to his date.

Keith just laughed as he walked away but made sure to keep the two cups straight in his mind. He hoped the nip of vodka would loosen him up a little. He had been overly nervous ever since picking Brenda up.

Well, if he were honest, he'd been nervous _about_ picking up Brenda. Not so much because it was his first official date, but because he'd been afraid he'd run into Beth and give away his feelings toward her. He'd lucked out and hadn't seen her, but he'd still had difficulty putting her out of his mind. Every time he thought about asking Brenda a question he realized that it centered around where Beth was that night. He really needed to forget about her. He knew she was way out of his reach.

The rest of the dance went quickly. Brenda and Keith danced a couple of times when they'd played a slow song and he'd enjoyed holding her in his arms. They'd had to be careful about how close they got as the chaperones had been keeping a close eye on the teens. Keith grinned when he thought about how Gordy had spiked the punch. He could have pointed out to them that they were watching the wrong area of the gym closely. More trouble was brewing from the punch bowl than on the dance floor.

The dance was officially over when one of the girls threw-up all over the floor after drinking several cups of punch. She had no idea she'd been drinking spiked fruit punch, but the chaperones finally figured it out and sent the kids home.

Keith, Gordy and Skizzy had watched the parental powwow a little nervously and Brenda had noticed.

"What's going on over there?" Brenda asked.

"No idea." Keith said quickly. "Must be something big though. No one's even paying attention to the dance floor anymore."

Shortly after that, the gym lights were turned on and the chaperones sent everyone home.

Keith and Brenda waved good-bye to Skizzy and Gordy at the front of the school and headed off in different directions. As they walked, their hands bumped casually several times before Keith finally grabbed Brenda's hand and twined his fingers with hers.

Brenda looked down and secretly smiled her happiness that he had done something so obviously affectionate. He thrilled her to the bone even if they still talked very little.

When her house loomed in the distance, Brenda finally broke the silence. "Seeing the dance broke up a little early, I'm sure it's still before my curfew. Do you want to sit on the porch swing for a little while?"

"Sure." Keith said and followed her as she led them to the wooden swing hanging from the ceiling of the porch.

"I had a great time tonight. Did you?" Brenda tried to draw him out.

"Sure." Keith said again. He wasn't making this easy.

"Do you think Bonnie had the flu?" Brenda asked another question hoping he would give her more than a one word answer.

"No, I'm pretty sure it wasn't the flu." Keith turned to Brenda and grinned.

"Keith Partridge, what do you know?" Brenda grinned back at him. His smile had always made her smile.

"Nothing. Really." Keith kept grinning but tried to wipe the smile from his face. Unfortunately he was unsuccessful, marking his words as the lie they were.

"You spiked the punch." Brenda's mouth fell open in shock.

"I didn't." Keith said quickly and the smile finally fell from his face. Would she rat him out?

"But you know who did. That's why you wouldn't let me have any more punch for the rest of the night, isn't it?" Brenda was able to read the answer on his face. When Keith turned away from her, she reached up to turn his face back to her leaving her palm on his cheek. "I won't tell, I promise."

"You won't?" Keith asked just to be sure.

"I won't." Brenda looked at him intently, hoping he would read the honesty in her eyes.

Keith, realizing that she would keep his secret, impulsively leaned forward and kissed her. When he pulled back, she just smiled at him. He took that as permission to kiss her again, only this time he deepened the kiss to something much more intimate.

He could get used to having someone to kiss. He really thought he would like this dating thing.

They sprang apart when the front porch light was turned on.

Brenda blinked at the bright light and smiled at Keith dreamily. "It must be close to my curfew. My mom probably turned the light on thinking we'd be walking up soon. I better go."

"Alright." Keith stood up and grabbed her hand to pull her up next to him.

Brenda dawdled as long as she could hoping he would ask her out for another date. She turned back to him at the door and said softly, "I had a wonderful time. Thank you for taking me."

"I had fun too. I'll see you around." Keith didn't notice her disappointment at his answer.

"Yes, I'll see you around. Good night." Brenda said with disappointment.

"Good night." Keith said as he watched her reach for the door. "Brenda."

She paused as soon as he said her name; hope shining in her eyes.

"Thanks for not saying anything…..about the punch." Keith finished as she looked at him puzzled.

"No problem. You didn't do it and you never told me who did, so I wouldn't actually be lying if anyone asked me about it." Brenda explained.

"Right. Thanks, anyway." Keith said again and turned to walk down the steps.

He turned at the bottom of the steps to say goodnight one more time and watched her walk through the door. Once the door was closed, he turned to head home. He got as far as the overgrown hedge about a block from the Morgan house when his arms were filled with a female who hadn't seen him coming in the dark.

The female stiffened and jerked free quickly, not sure who she'd run into. When she pulled back, Keith was finally able to make out her features in the distant street light.

"Beth?" He said and then got an even better look when the moon came out from behind a cloud. She had tears on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, Keith, it's you." Beth said and quickly tried to wipe the evidence of lingering tears from her face. "I thought….."

"Who did you think I was?" Keith asked.

"No one." She said quickly. She'd thought he was Greg having caught up with her. She just hoped that Keith didn't notice her torn blouse or he'd have even more questions. She kept her arms crossed over her chest to hold the blouse together. To deflect his curiosity, she quickly asked a question. "How was the dance?"

"It was alright. One of the girls got sick all over the gym floor and they sent us all home." Keith told her leaving out the reason for the girls supposed illness.

"Oh, disgusting." Beth found herself laughing. It was amazing how comfortable Keith made her feel. "Well, I better let you get home. I'm sure you have a curfew."

"My parents know I'm walking home from your house so they aren't expecting me for a while. Are you sure you're alright? You were crying." Keith reminded her that he'd seen the evidence of her night on her face.

"Oh, it's nothing really. Greg and I just had a fight. No big deal." Beth tried to brush it off.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Keith couldn't get over the fact that she'd been really upset when he'd first run into her.

"No, of course not." Beth said quickly. "I'm just feeling a little over emotional. It's no big deal. Really."

Keith watched her face closely in the dim light and could see that she did seem a little calmer since he'd run into her. Maybe it was no big deal, like she said.

"I'll walk you back to the house, if you'd like." Keith offered noticing her furtive look over her shoulder.

"Ummmm, yeah, I'd like that. I didn't realize how dark it is out here." Beth still worried that Greg would catch up to her before she got home.

They walked the block to her house chatting about nothing and anything. It was a short but pleasant interlude for both of them. Keith said goodbye at the door and watched his second Morgan sister walk through the same door in one night.

While he walked home he thought about the difference between his short walk with Beth and his longer walk with Brenda. He and Beth had carried on a casual and comfortable conversation while he and Brenda had struggled through several awkward silences. He supposed it had to do with the age difference and likely the fact that Beth had no feelings for him, so hadn't been nervous. He decided right then and there that he would not moon over the sister who was out of his reach. He would date as often as possible and with as many different girls as he could ask, to try to put her out of his mind.

He had all summer to accomplish that task before he'd see Beth every day at school once he was in high school.

He would have been surprised to find that both sisters would not be happy with his decision.

xoxo

Keith spent the summer putting his idea to work. He asked more than a dozen girls out on dates. Some he dated more than once, others he never bothered to call again. His parents watched it all with some humor and some concern.

"Do you think he's alright?" Shirley asked one night after Keith had just returned from a date with a girl they'd never met.

"What do you mean?" Dan asked pulling his eyes from his son's retreating back.

"Well, he practically turned into a serial dater overnight." Shirley pointed out.

"I thought you'd be happy that he wasn't getting serious about any one girl at his age." Dan put his arm around his wife's shoulder as they both started heading upstairs. They knew Keith would be upset knowing that they'd stayed up to wait for him to get home, but it was part of parenting.

"Oh, I'm very glad about that, but he never seems to date one girl for more than two or three dates and then he's on to the next girl." Shirley hugged her husband close as they paused at the bottom of the steps.

"He does appear to be looking for something, doesn't he? As soon as he knows she's not what he's looking for, he's on to the next possible candidate." Dan finally put words to his thoughts. "Guess I'll have to talk to him about it."

"I think that might be best. When are you going to do it?" Shirley welcomed her husband back to her side after he turned off the lights in the living room.

"Impatient aren't you?" At her patient smile, he continued. "I'll talk to him tomorrow. We're going to work on the car most of the day. It'll give me a good chance to get him to open up. Soon enough for you?"

"Yes, dear." Shirley smiled knowing that she'd gotten her husband to do what she wanted with just a few well chosen sentences. It was as if they were of one mind about their offspring. Life was much easier when you were able to manage it with the love of your life.

xoxo

"Keith Partridge, you're a male chauvinist pig." Laurie threw the insult at her brother's head across the breakfast table.

"I am not. All I said was that Cindy didn't have any of the same interests and that I didn't intend on asking her out again." Keith sniffed.

"No, you said that she was the most boring person you'd ever met and that's why you weren't going to date her again." Laurie reminded him of his exact words.

"So? It's the same thing." Keith didn't follow his sister's thought process.

"Do you really think you're going to find a girl who loves cars and music as much as you do?" Laurie accused.

"Now who's being the chauvinist? Why can't a girl like cars and music?" Keith asked.

"I'll give you the music one, but come on really, I don't know any girls who are fixing up an old jalopy with their dad." Laurie knew she was slightly off on her accusation, but she was just mad at Keith for ignoring Brenda for most of the summer. They were to start school in less than a week and Keith had never asked Brenda on another date over the last few months. Once school started, they both knew that Keith wouldn't even consider dating someone who wasn't in high school with him.

"I'm not asking a girl to fix up an old car with her dad, just that if I mention it she won't change the subject without asking even one question about it. I'm expected to show interest in her hobbies." Keith pointed out.

"You will never understand us women." Laurie threw at him.

"Us women? That from your lofty age of twelve? Seriously, Laurie, you cannot even begin to speak for women." Keith just landed himself squarely in the male chauvinist pig category with those words.

"Mom! Did you hear what he said?" Shirley had been doing her best to ignore her arguing kids but could stay out of it no more. Laurie had seen to that.

"I did and I think you both should let the subject drop." When Laurie looked like she was going to protest, Shirley continued. "Now - and that was not a request. There will be no arguing at the dinner table."

"It's not dinner mom. It's breakfast." Danny pointed out from his lofty age of eight.

"You are so right, son. Your mom meant that figuratively. She simply meant that while this family sits down to eat, whether it be breakfast or dinner, there will be no arguing. Understood?" Dan threw a warning glance at his two eldest children who were both fuming silently while glaring at each other. Thankfully they weren't sitting next to each other or the altercation could have escalated from angry words, to who knew what.

It had been fun to watch them grow up so close in age, yet so different. The older brother who, most of the time, protected his younger sister, yet never once would admit that she was right. He was older and thus knew more. The younger sister who had always followed her big brother around and had taken her cues from him in most things was now starting to realize that boys and girls were very different.

Their close bond would be tested time and again, but would always reign supreme. If one was threatened, the other would protect. If one was hurt, the other would comfort.

"Come on Keith, let's go work on that old jalopy." Dan said as he placed his napkin on his empty plate and pulled his son's attention away from the glaring contest he was currently involved in.

"Fine." Keith said as he jumped up from the table. After seeing his dad frown, Keith quickly looked at his mother and said, "May I be excused?"

Dan smiled as Shirley gave her blessing. Hard-headed as the kids could be, they'd had good manners drummed into them by their parents.

xoxo

They'd been working on the car for an hour in companionable silence. The only words spoken being requests for tools. They would have the old junker up and running in a couple of weeks. Too bad Keith had more than a year before he could drive. That just meant that they'd have more time to work on the body and the interior to spruce it up even more.

"So, Keith, how was your date with Cindy last night?" Dan finally decided to probe his son's dating psyche.

"You were at the kitchen table. It was fine. Just nothing spectacular." Keith admitted.

"Nothing spectacular, hmmm? Just what are you hoping to find?" Dan probed further.

"I'm not sure. But, I'll know when I've found it." Keith said and added in his head, 'at least I think I will'.

"Ah, I see. You looking for the love of your life already?" Dan teased.

"Not exactly. Just someone to, oh, I don't know….." Keith trailed off and once again added a thought in his head. 'Someone to help me forget about Beth Morgan'.

"Careful, that piece of metal is sharp. Don't cut yourself." Dan said as he watched as Keith, prone under the car on a creeper, struggled to loosen a bolt. As if his words were prophetic, the bolt gave unexpectedly and Keith's left hand, that he'd brought up to assist, jerked violently toward the sharp rusty edge.

"Ouch! Shit!" Keith yelled before realizing what had slipped out when he felt the metal edge slice jaggedly through his hand.

"You alright?" Dan asked quickly and pulled Keith out from under the car by his ankles.

Keith had reflexively dropped the wrench and grabbed his left hand with his right. The blood was already seeping through the fingers of his right hand and dripping onto his shirt.

"Let me see." Dan said urgently gently pulling Keith's hand away so that he could see. "Holy….we need to get you to the doctor. That's gonna need stitches. Stay right here and hold this towel. Tight."

Dan raced to the house and plowed through the half open door.

"Shirl, I gotta take Keith to the Emergency Room. He's cut his hand." Dan picked up the car keys while he said those words and waited for her response.

"Oh, no! Let me see before you leave." Shirley said and raced outside.

She found Keith still sitting on the creeper and holding his hand while fighting tears. He was white as a ghost.

"Keith, honey, let me see." Shirley said gently while she pulled the dirty towel from her son's wound.

"Dan, go back inside and get me a clean towel. This dirty one will only spread infection. Hurry." Shirley said in a calm voice hoping to keep everyone else calm.

"Here." Dan handed her one of her brand new kitchen towels.

"Laurie?" Shirley saw her daughter watching everything from just outside the kitchen door. "Watch the kids. I'm going with your father. I'll call you as soon as we know anything. Come on Keith, let's get you up and to the car."

"Dan?" She said looking at her husband who was nervously watching the proceedings.

"I can't find the car keys." Dan said in a panic.

"Honey, they're in your hand." Shirley said patiently. He was known to get absent minded when under extreme pressure. It would be several years before Keith started to exhibit the same tendency. "Do you want me to drive?"

"No, Keith needs your nursing skills. I'll drive." Dan said while suddenly discovering the keys clutched tightly in his hand.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

They'd been sitting in the waiting room for more than an hour when a doctor finally came out looking for them.

"Mr. & Mrs. Partridge?" The gray haired kindly looking doctor asked the only two people in the waiting room who could possibly be the parents of a young teenager.

"Yes, we're Keith's parents." Shirley answered after standing quickly at his question.

"Have a seat. I'm Dr. Johnson." He said after shaking their hands and waving them back down to their vacated chairs. "Your son's cut is pretty deep, but doesn't appear to have caused any lasting damage."

"Doctor, my son's a musician; will this affect his ability to play the guitar?" Dan asked concerned about what he was beginning to realize was his son's future dreams.

"I'm not completely certain right now. It appears that he cut partially through a tendon in his hand, but with physical therapy and time to heal, it should be just fine." The doctor answered. "Right now, I'm more concerned about infection. I understand that he cut himself on a rusty piece of metal."

"Yes, he did." Dan quickly agreed.

"When was his last tetanus shot?" The doctor asked.

"He's not been immunized since his childhood shots." Shirley answered the doctor automatically, knowing each of her child's medical histories by heart.

"In that case, we'll be giving him a shot before he leaves. I have a plastic surgeon sewing up his hand right now. Keith lucked out that Dr. Martin was already in the hospital. Once it's healed, there'll hardly be a scar for him to tell harrowing stories about." Dr. Johnson told them with a smile. "Here's a prescription for antibiotics and a pain killer too. We want to make sure that he doesn't suffer from any infection. That was a pretty dirty laceration. He said he was working on fixing up a car with you?"

"Yeah, it's supposed to be his car when he gets his license in a couple of years. I figured it was a good way to teach him about auto mechanics. It's how my dad taught me." Dan said absently while taking the prescription papers from the doctor's hand.

Shirley quickly grabbed the paper from her husband's hand knowing that as distracted as he was he was likely to misplace it within seconds of gaining possession. "When can we see him?"

"Actually, we should be sending him out in a few minutes. He'll have a large bandage on his hand and we've put it in a sling for now. The sling is mostly there as a reminder for Keith not to try and use it for at least a week. Bring him to my office for a follow-up appointment next week, alright?" Dr. Johnson handed Shirley a card with his office number on it.

"Thank you Doctor. I'll make the appointment tomorrow." Shirley smiled at the sweet elderly man and shook his hand as he headed back to more patients.

"Do you really think the doctor was telling the truth about Keith recovering fully from this?" Dan asked Shirley with a worried frown marring his face.

"He said so, why should we doubt him?" Shirley asked a frown on her face now too.

"Well, you saw how bad it was. How deep it was. What if he never really regains full use of his hand? His fingers?" Dan was really worried.

"Dan, I'm sure he'll regain very good use of his fingers and hand. The doctor assured us." Shirley reminded him.

"But, good enough to be a musician?" Dan asked again.

"Dan, what do you know that I don't?" Shirley pulled him back down to the chairs once again.

"Shirley, Keith and I have been spending a lot of time in the garage actually writing music. Well, to put it more correctly, Keith has been writing music. I've just been giving him feedback and encouragement." Dan looked at his wife very seriously. "Shirley, he's really good. I mean, so good, that he could make a living doing it. And, you would never guess that he wasn't even 15 yet."

"What? When did this all start? I mean, I know he has musical talent, but composing? That's new." Shirley frowned again, now just as concerned as her husband. Not only that her son might not regain full use of his hand, but that he might actually consider the music industry as his future full time employment. The industry was notoriously hard on people; impossible to break into and just as impossible to stay in with any success. You had to have real talent. Was her husband saying that their teenage son had that kind of talent?

"He's only gotten serious about it since we gave him the electric guitar for his birthday. It's like that was the straw that broke the camels back. He discovered that music was his true passion." Dan informed her.

"Well, that and girls." Shirley reminded him with a smile.

"Ok, that wasn't comforting. If he has two passions – music and girls – and you take music away from him, that leaves girls." Dan winked at his wife trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, Dan, be serious. He can't make a living out of liking girls." Shirley laughed.

"No, but it might be interesting watching him try." Dan leered at his now blushing and laughing wife.

xoxo

Keith finally pushed through the doors with a nurse guiding his steps almost as if he weren't fully awake. He seemed a little woozie to his parents.

"Hey, Keith, you alright?" Dan asked glancing at the nurse with concern.

Keith gave him a wobbly smile and just sighed.

The nurse guiding him laughed and said, "The doctor not only gave him a tetanus shot, but a shot for the pain."

"Oh, was that really necessary?" Shirley asked.

"They numbed the area to put the stitches in, but the doctor figured he'd likely start feeling some pretty sharp pains once that wore off. So, he's not feeling too much of anything at the moment." The nurse assured her. "When you get him home, let him sleep as long as he can. He's lost quite a bit of blood and could use the rest. Keep an eye out for a fever which would indicate infection. Other than that, use the antibiotics and the pain killer prescriptions exactly as the doctor ordered and he should be right as rain in no time."

"Thank you. We will. Come on Keith, let's get you home." Shirley smiled at the nurse as she took her spot next to her son, put her arm around him and led him out of the hospital.

xoxo

Keith woke up in his room disoriented and winced at the pain emanating from his hand. He finally realized that is was the throbbing that had woken him from a dead sleep. He looked around the room and realized that it was dark. He wondered listlessly what time it was. His growling stomach told him he probably missed not only lunch, but dinner as well.

He rolled himself to a seated position and then sat there for a second as the room spun around him. That couldn't be good. Maybe he was dizzy because he was so hungry.

He found his robe and put it on over his pajama bottoms. He was only half dressed because he'd kicked his mom out of the room saying he was certainly capable of dressing himself only to find that he couldn't button the top. In the end, he skipped it. It didn't matter; it was summer and warm enough without it.

He held his arm up against his chest because he couldn't find the sling and didn't feel like taking the time to find it. That decision made, he headed out into the hallway. The lights were out and only a dim glow from the night light lit the way. It was always on in case one of the younger kids needed to make a trip to the bathroom or their parent's room when it was storming. Using the dim light, he easily found his way to the top of the stairs and was glad to see that there were lights on downstairs. Good it was early enough to get something to eat; his parents were still up.

He groggily wandered down the stairs and found them snuggled together on the couch watching Johnny Carson. After all these years of marriage, they still showed their love in so many ways. Keith didn't want to surprise them too much so he said quietly, "Mom?"

Even with keeping his voice down, his parents both turned around quickly at his words, his mom jumped up from the couch immediately and walked toward him. "Hi, you're up. I thought you might sleep through the night." She had been up to check on him frequently even though she knew he'd have hated the fact if he'd known.

"I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?" Keith asked as he looked hopefully toward the dark kitchen.

"Of course, there is. How's the hand?" She asked as she steered him toward the kitchen.

"Throbbing with my heartbeat. It's got kind of a groovy rhythm." Keith tried joking.

Shirley smiled at him and leaned in to give him a kiss on the forehead. It was meant to look like a show of affection to her son when in reality, she was checking for a fever. "Only you could turn pain into something musical."

"It's a gift." Keith kidded back.

"That it is." Shirley agreed as she snapped on the overhead light. Keith blinked at the sudden brightness; the living room had been much dimmer. Shirley smiled at how young he looked with his eyes only half open and his long lashes shading his cheek bones. "Did you want a pain killer with your turkey sandwich?"

"Yeah, that might be a good idea. I don't know if I'd be able to sleep with it pounding like this." Keith sat down and watched his mother move around the kitchen efficiently.

"Dan, can you go upstairs and get one?" Shirley asked Dan who had followed them silently into the kitchen.

"Sure, be right back." Dan said after ruffling Keith's hair on his way out.

Shirley set the sandwich in front of him with a full glass of milk right beside it. "Eat it all. You need your strength."

"Yes, Ma'am." Keith said around his first bite.

"Hey, where's the other half of your pajamas?" Shirley asked noticing that he was bare chested under this robe.

"Couldn't work the buttons so I just left it." Keith said with his mouth full not wanting to pause in his eating to answer.

Shirley rolled her eyes and would have mentioned that he should have taken her up on her offer of help but then realized that he was getting too old to want his mother's help in almost anything.

"Here you go. One pain killer and one antibiotic coming up." Dan said as he walked in the room. "I noticed that the instructions said they should be taken with food and it's definitely time for him to have another one."

"Thanks for noticing." Shirley said as she felt her son's forehead one more time; this time with her hand.

"Oh, Mom." Keith said as he brushed her hand away.

"What, I can't worry about you?" Shirley smiled at him affectionately.

"Worry, yes. Treat me like a baby, no." Keith informed her.

"There's a difference?" Dan joked.

xoxo

Once Keith had finished his sandwich, he'd gladly let his parents follow him back upstairs and once again put him to bed. He was surprised to find that he was quite certain he could still sleep. Must be the pain meds was his last thought before he slipped into sleep.

The next morning at the breakfast table, Danny was oohing and ahhing over Keith's heavily bandaged hand. He kept asking question after question.

"Does it hurt? What's it look like? Will it leave a scar?" All questions were answered by Keith in an off-handed way. He wasn't really listening to him but just answering automatically as he wolfed down his eggs and bacon.

"Will you be able to play the guitar again?" Danny finally asked the question that caught Keith's attention.

Everyone turned to Keith as he froze with his fork halfway to his mouth. As he slowly lowered the fork back to his plate without putting the eggs into his mouth, his panicked eyes turned to his dad. "Dad? Did they say? Will I heal enough to play again?"

"Keith, they assured us that once the swelling goes down and the cut heals, you'll be as good as new." Dan assured him.

"But, did you specifically ask them that question?" Keith quizzed.

"Yes, actually I did." Dan thought that would end the discussion.

"And, they said, for sure, that I would be able to play. Right?" Keith needed the definitive answer.

"That's what he said." Dan watched the fear leave his son's face and turned back to his breakfast thinking that young Danny was just way to curious for anyone's good.

"Good." Keith said and picked his fork back up. He tried wiggling his finger surreptitiously against his chest where the sling held it. They barely moved. That couldn't be good. Maybe his dad was lying to him to protect him from the truth. The truth they didn't think he was ready to hear yet.

Keith finished his breakfast with a whole lot less gusto than he'd previously been attacking it. Unfortunately, his parents didn't notice anything unusual. If they had, they might have watched him more closely that day and stopped him from doing what he now planned.

xoxo

As the family scattered after breakfast, Keith sat quietly in the living room pretending to read the latest issue of Rolling Stone. He couldn't do much more, certainly not with his mother checking up on him every few minutes.

She walked into the living room and asked him how he was doing for the tenth time that morning.

"Still fine. Nothing's changed since the last time you asked me." Keith assured her as patiently as possible.

"Sorry. I've got to run to the store. I'm going to take Danny, Chris and Tracy with me so they stay out of your hair. Alright?" Shirley grinned knowing that if given the chance, they'd have been right next to him all day making sure he was alright. She'd saved him by shooing them outside to play.

"No problem. Where's dad?" Keith asked quickly wanting to make sure he wouldn't get caught.

"He's down the street helping Mr. Monahan with his broken lawn mower. He probably won't be back for a couple of hours. Why did you need him for anything?" Shirley asked.

"Nope. I'm good. See you later." Keith assured her.

Shirley ran into Laurie on her way to the car and told her to keep an eye on Keith but not to let him know that she was.

How am I supposed to do that? Laurie wondered as she waved to her mom as she backed the car out of the driveway.

She came into the house to find Keith just standing up from the couch. He'd forgotten about Laurie and looked at her guiltily.

"Hey, Keith. Where are you going?" Laurie asked as she plopped down onto the couch.

"I was just going upstairs to the bathroom. That alright with you?" Keith's answer was a bit short as he'd had to come up with the lie on the fly.

"No reason to take my head off." Laurie threw back.

"Sorry, I'm just a little tired of everybody questioning me every few minutes." Keith tried to soothe her knowing that with her home, he'd need to either get past her or get her to agree to help him. Either way, if she was mad, she'd be harder to work around.

"S'alright." Laurie said as he walked up the stairs.

A few minutes later, Keith walked down the stairs as quietly as he could. Laurie had her back to him and if he was quiet enough, he just might get past her. He was glad he was in his bare feet, they were a whole lot quieter than shoes. He couldn't tie any laces right now, so barefoot it was.

He made it out of the kitchen door with Laurie none the wiser. He moved just as quietly into the garage and closed the door behind him. Once inside, he let out the breath he'd been holding.

He glanced around the room and found his guitar case lying on top of the piano. He walked over, flipped open the latches and pulled the guitar out with his right hand. He sat down on the piano bench and gently removed his injured hand from the sling. He had to use both hands to settle the guitar in his lap and then held it steady with his right. He concentrated on trying to move the fingers of his left hand in the simplest song he could think of. It hurt to make the movements, but he did it.

He smiled triumphantly. Maybe his dad hadn't lied to him after all.

He decided to move onto something more difficult. As he bent his head to his task, he didn't notice the garage door opening.

He decided to play the song he'd been working on with his dad over the last few weekends. It required some quick movements and he winced every time.

From there, he moved on to other bits of music that had been flitting through his brain over the past few days. The more he played, the more pain he felt.

Laurie, who had come in soon after he'd started, had been mesmerized by the pretty tunes he was playing and had decided not to interrupt. She'd never heard most of these before and wanted to try and figure out what he was playing.

Finally, the pain became more than he could bare and he let his guitar slide to his right side while bringing his left hand to his chest and hugging it there tightly hoping the throbbing would stop.

"Keith Partridge, what did you do?" Laurie finally realized that she should have stopped him right away. He'd apparently hurt himself.

"Oh, Laurie, you scared me." Keith said after jumping at her words.

"Did you hurt your hand by playing the guitar too soon?" Laurie asked again.

"No. I don't know. Maybe." Keith admitted defeat as sharp pains were now accompanying the throbbing.

"Let me see." Laurie walked over, grabbed the guitar and set it far enough away that Keith would have to get up to get it. She came back and sat down on his left side putting her hand out imperiously waiting for him to give her his left hand.

"No." Keith said reflexively.

"Hand it over or I tell Mom and Dad as soon as they get home." Laurie threatened.

"You wouldn't." Keith looked at her quickly and then in defeat moved his hand so that his wrist was in her hand.

"Oh, Keith, it's bleeding. Bad enough to come through all this gauze. You won't be able to hide this from Mom." Laurie bit her lip in sympathy. If it was bleeding that bad, he'd have to have been in some serious pain while he was playing.

"I can if you help me change it before she gets home." Keith asked hopefully.

"No way." Laurie said quickly.

"Why not? Oh, come on. Please?" Keith was close to begging, but he thought he'd try 'please' first to see if that worked. Usually with Laurie it did. When that didn't get her to reply right away he tried once more. "I'll owe you."

"You most certainly will Keith Partridge. And, I don't want any questions when I need a favor. Deal?" Laurie knew she had him over a barrel and was not beyond taking advantage of it. Who knew when she'd need a favor from her older brother?

"Deal." Keith said quickly without really thinking about it. He was just trying to save his own skin at this moment. He couldn't change it himself and he needed her help or he was in serious trouble.

"Alright, let's go inside and fix this mess." Laurie pulled him behind her all the way up to the bathroom and sat him down on the edge of the bathtub to begin her first attempt at first aid.

She studied the bandages to make sure that she could put them back in much the same way they were now. If this didn't work, Keith would renege on their agreement and she had plans for that favor already. Her name was Brenda Morgan.

"Oh, Keith, why did you torture yourself like that?" Laurie said when she pulled the gauze away from the oozing wound.

"It wasn't torture. Not at the time. I had to know." Keith told her while looking away from the nauseating sight. When it was your own flesh that looked that mangled, it was hard to hold onto your breakfast.

"Had to know what?" Laurie asked while she continued with her task.

"If I could still play." Keith told her honestly.

"But, Dad told you they said you'd be able to." Laurie reminded him.

"What if he was lying?" When Laurie looked like she was going to protest that their parents had never lied to them Keith quickly continued. "He'd have lied if he knew the truth would hurt me."

"I suppose you're right. But he'd tan your backside if he knew what you just did." Laurie reminded him.

"That's why he can never know. Remember?" Keith quickly reminded her of their deal.

"Oh, he won't find out from me. I kind of like having you owe me." Laurie grinned at him.

"I am so going to regret this, aren't I?" Keith winced as her grin widened.

"Probably, but it's too late to renege now. It's a deal. Signed, sealed and retaped." Laurie said as she placed the last piece of tape on the bandage job that looked remarkably like the one she'd just removed.

"Hey, you're pretty good at this." Keith looked at his clean but still throbbing hand.

"All the better to get my payback with." Laurie threw over her shoulder as she left the bathroom.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Keith, Laurie, hurry up or you'll be late for school!" Shirley yelled up the stairs for the third time that morning.

It was the first day of school and both of them had been dawdling. Laurie had spent the better part of two days deciding what to wear for her first day in the 8th grade and then this morning, had changed her mind. Keith, still refusing his mother's help, had taken longer than normal to dress even though he'd chosen a sweater rather than a shirt with buttons. Their need for independence was driving their mother crazy.

"Dan, turn around and light a fire under your two oldest." Shirley said as she watched her husband start down the stairs still straightening his tie.

"What? They're still not down?" Dan asked surprised as they had less than ten minutes before they needed to leave.

"No they're not and they need at least a few minutes to eat something before they leave." Shirley, ever the mother, reminded him.

"I'll have them front and center in a couple of minutes." Dan had stopped next to her and now leaned forward to give her a kiss.

"What was that for?" Shirley asked surprised by his actions.

"Because you are the most wonderful mother to my children." Dan told her with a grin.

"They most certainly are your children. They're late just like you usually are." Shirley grinned back and swatted him on his backside as he turned to head back upstairs.

xoxo

"Keith, come on. What're you lookin' at?" Gordy asked as he looked over his shoulder to see what had caused his friend to stop walking.

"Nothin'." Keith said and pulled his attention back to the front of the high school.

"No, it's not nothin'." Gordy said and followed where he'd seen Keith's eyes before he'd looked away. "Oh, I get it. You're not still mooning over Beth Morgan, are you?"

"No, I'm not." Keith said too quickly. "Come on, I want to drop some of this stuff at my locker before homeroom. Having the use of only one hand is a real pain."

"Right." Gordy said disbelievingly. "You know, she won't even talk to you. You're just a lowly freshman and she's a junior."

"Gordy, drop it." Keith told him quickly. They were going to walk within hearing distance shortly and he didn't want to risk her overhearing his friend teasing him.

They stopped talking while they walked past the large group of upper classmen hanging out before the first period bell rang. They kept their heads down, but the guys couldn't resist picking on the younger kids just starting to attend 'their' school.

"Hey, look, it's two more freshmen." Greg poked his friend in the side with his elbow to draw his attention to Keith and Gordy.

"Do they get shorter every year or is it just me?" His buddy said loudly enough so that he was sure Keith and Gordy would hear.

"Short? Don't you mean scrawny?" Greg joked back. "Guess neither one of those two will be joining the football team."

"Not if they want to live very long." His buddy laughed. "We'd squash 'em like bugs with our bone crushing tackles."

The group all laughed at the expense of Keith and Gordy. Keith glanced up slightly to see if Beth was laughing too. He noticed that she was frowning at her popular football playing boyfriend, but she didn't defend him. He guessed that proved what everyone had been telling him – she wouldn't have anything to do with him, ever.

Beth had been surprised to see Keith's hand wrapped in gauze and his arm in a sling. It had so distracted her that she hadn't really noticed the conversation until Keith was long gone. Brenda hadn't told her Keith was hurt, but then again, Brenda was ticked at Keith for not asking her out again and had been avoiding the Partridge household for the last few weeks. It must have been a recent injury.

She told Greg she had to run to her locker and she'd see him later. She followed Keith from a distance and he wasn't even aware she was there.

Gordy stopped by Keith's locker and watched his friend struggle to work the combination lock with just his right hand. He'd taken Keith's pile of books, but with only one hand he still couldn't get it to work.

"Come on, Keith, just give me the combination and I'll open it. I don't wanna be late for homeroom." Gordy urged.

"No way am I giving you my combination. You'll stash something in here and I'll get in trouble." Keith said turning his back on his friend to hide the numbers he was trying to dial in.

"No I won't." Gordy tried defending himself.

"Yes, you will. Just go to homeroom. I'll meet you there." Keith told him.

"Fine. Here's your stuff." Gordy handed it back and walked away.

Now Keith had no hands to even try working the lock. He let his head fall forward against the locker in frustration.

"Need some help?" He jumped at the voice that sounded from directly behind him.

"Um…." Keith spun around to find the girl of his summer dreams standing there smiling at him. "Not really."

"Ah, so you were going to open the locker with mind control?" Beth teased. Seeing Keith frown at her words, she quickly continued, "Hey, I was just teasing. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Oh, well I wasn't sure." Keith watched a frown take over her beautiful face as she was the one who didn't understand this time. "Earlier when they were….talking about Gordy and me, you didn't stop 'em."

"Sorry about that. Picking on people makes Greg feel like a big man. He's really kind of a bully." Beth pointed out.

"So why do you date him?" Keith asked surprised by her answer.

"Because he's the quarterback of the football team." Beth answered truthfully and then, because she knew the answer wasn't a very good one, quickly changed the topic. "What happened to your hand?"

"Oh, I cut it while I was working on my car with my dad." Keith said as he looked at his bandaged hand as if he'd just discovered it.

"You and your dad are fixing up a car?" Beth asked. "What kind?"

"Pardon?" Keith was surprised that she was interested.

"What kind of car is it?" Beth clarified.

"Oh, it's just a '57 Chevy that was badly abused by its previous owner." Keith told her surprised that she was still there.

"Cool car." Beth said and watched Keith's look of bewilderment turn to a smile of pride.

"It will be; once we're done with it." Keith agreed.

"So, will you be able to play the guitar again? Once you're healed?" She asked remembering their earlier conversation about his plans for his future.

"I get the stitches out next week and then I'll know for sure. But yeah, I should be able to." Keith smiled at the memory of his attempt to practice a couple of days ago.

"That's good. I know how much that means to you." Beth returned his smile.

"Thanks. I'm surprised you remember." Keith said without thinking.

"You're surprised I remember our conversation? Why?" Beth was surprised that he thought so little of her.

"Well, it was several months ago. And, it's not like we're friends or anything. After all, I'm just a lowly freshman." Keith remembered how obvious that had been just a few short minutes ago when her group of friends had been poking fun at he and Gordy.

"Sorry about that. I would have stuck up for you, but I'd noticed your hand and was so surprised that I wasn't really listening. Forgive me?" She gave him a very apologetic smile.

"I suppose." Keith was stunned by her admission and her apology. Here she was the most popular girl in the whole school and she was singling him out – and being really nice to him.

"How's about I pay you back by helping you open your locker." Beth suggested. At Keith's nod of acceptance, she asked, "So, what's your combination?"

He gladly gave it to her and watched her open the formerly recalcitrant lock with ease.

"There you go. Have a good first day, hmm?" Beth said as she strolled away.

"Holy cow, Partridge!" Gordy and Skizzy came over as soon as Beth was around the corner.

"What are you doing back here? I thought you went to homeroom." Keith said to Gordy. "Mornin' Skiz. I see your dad must have dropped you off. You're late."

"Oh, no you don't. There's no way you're changing the subject." Skizzy said in awe.

"What subject?" Keith asked as he threw all of his books into his locker and looked for the ones he would need for first period.

"What were you two talking about?" Gordy asked.

"Nothin' really." Keith said nonchalantly.

"One does not talk about nothing with THE most popular and pretty girl in the school. Spill it Partridge." Skizzy poked Keith in his shoulder for emphasis.

"No way." Keith grinned his refusal.

"We'll make you talk like we did this summer – about the whole closet incident." Gordy threatened.

"What, you've got whiskey on you?" Keith reminded him about how he'd gotten him to talk last time. "Eat your hearts out, fellas. I'm going to homeroom."

With those words, Keith strolled away with a smile on his face. His friends watched him walk away and then stared open mouthed at each other.

"What's he got that we don't?" Gordy puzzled.

"Got me. But whatever it is, he's caught the eye of the one and only Beth Morgan. My brother Mark's jaw will drop when he hears this." Skizzy said in wonder. "I think high school might just be more fun than we bargained for."

"What are you talking about? Keith's the only one whose life just got a whole lot more interesting." Gordy pointed out.

"Yeah, but I can live vicariously through him and maybe, just maybe, find out what it's like to be liked by the most gorgeous girl in town." Skizzy whispered reverently.

"Skiz, man, you are sick. You know that?" Gordy shoved Skizzy forward as they were close to being officially late on their first day.

xoxo

"So, how was your first day?" Dan asked Keith after he sat down on his son's bed. Keith was sitting at his desk doing homework.

"Long." Keith answered truthfully.

"That's it? That's all I get?" Dan had hoped for more details. "Meet anyone, oh I don't know, interesting?"

"What are you really asking me?" Keith finally looked up from his books.

"Honestly?" Dan watched his son nod and continued. "I thought maybe you had met a new girl or something, because you were really distracted at dinner and with you that usually means a girl."

"Well, the answer to your question is no, I didn't meet a new girl at school today." Keith answered truthfully if not in all honesty. It wasn't a total lie. He hadn't met a new girl, but it most certainly was a girl who had him distracted. He was still trying to figure out why Beth was being so nice to him. Most juniors didn't talk to freshmen unless they were related. Especially one as popular as Beth. It just didn't add up.

"Oh, alright then, how are your classes?" Dan asked just to keep the conversation going.

"Fine." Keith answered.

"Like your teachers?" He tried again.

"They're alright. You've got thirteen more." Keith said.

"Thirteen what?" Dan frowned at him not following his train of thought.

"That's another one. Now you've got twelve." Keith grinned at his dad's confusion. "I assumed we were playing twenty questions."

"Alright, I get the idea. I'll leave you to your homework." Dan stood up. "Isn't it alright for a dad to ask his son how his day went?"

Keith just laughed as he said "That's nine. You've only got eleven to go."

"I'm going. I'm going." Dan laughed as he left the room and closed the door behind him. He figured if Keith was doing homework he'd appreciate the privacy.

The door wasn't closed for more than ten minutes and Keith had just gotten back to where he'd left off when there was a knock on the door. Oh, great, it was probably his mom with the other eleven questions. "Come in."

He was surprised to see Laurie peek her head in the door. "Got a minute?"

"I suppose, what's up?" Keith watched her walk in and sit on his bed just like their dad had.

"What're you doing?" Laurie looked nervous.

"My algebra homework, why?" Keith was already suspicious of her motives.

"Oh, just wondering. How was your first day?" Laurie tried another question.

"Laurie we talked about our day all the way on the walk home." The junior and senior high schools were next to each other so they didn't have to change their daily routine of walking to school together. They just wouldn't run into each other once they were at school.

"Right. I forgot." Laurie looked at her feet and struggled with how to bring up the next subject.

"Just spit it out." Keith urged. He wanted to finish his homework before he had to get up for school.

"Keith, remember, you promised me you owed me, right?" Laurie finally said in a rush.

"I remember." Keith said hesitantly.

"Well, I decided how I want you to repay me." Laurie looked up with what she hoped was confidence.

"Shoot." Keith said quickly.

"Well, you see there's this party….." Laurie started fitfully.

"You want me to take you to a party?" Keith was surprised by her request.

"Not me." Laurie said quietly.

"No. Don't ask me that. Anything but that." Keith said finally realizing where she was going with this.

"You don't even know what I'm going to ask." Laurie said in surprise.

"Yes, I do. And, no I won't." Keith answered.

"But there were no conditions on our bargain. You said anything." Laurie reminded him. "Besides, you still don't know for sure what I was going to ask you."

"You were going to ask me to take Brenda to this party." Keith told her plainly.

"How'd you guess?" Laurie frowned.

"Because, much as you think I don't pay attention to anything you do, I do know that you have been trying to set me up with Brenda for the better part of the summer." Keith threw his pencil down realizing that he wasn't going to get back to his homework anytime soon.

"Well, why won't you go out with her?" Laurie waited for him to answer. When he just looked down and frowned, she continued. "Look, I know you think she's pretty. She's exactly your type."

"I don't have a type." Keith argued.

"Yes, you do. All guys do. It's normal. You're a legs guy." Laurie stated.

"Have you and your friends been reading 'Cosmo' again? That's crap and you know it." Keith laughed.

"It's not. We, Brenda and I, took the test. According to that test, you and Brenda are meant to be. All you have to do is admit it." Laurie told him.

"Well, your silly test is wrong." Keith stood up and was going to usher her out of his room.

"It's not. Besides, you owe me. You promised. Remember?" Laurie refused to stand up for him.

"Laurie, I'll pay you back. I promise. Just not by taking Brenda on a date. It's not a 'you' pay back. It's outside the rules." Keith tried to reason.

"There is no such rule." Laurie argued. "Oh, come on Keith. Why won't you take her out again?"

"Because, I don't want to." Keith tried the simple answer first, hoping that would appease her. It didn't.

"But why? You had a good time at the dance. I know you did. Brenda told me." Laurie reminded him.

"The dance I took Brenda to was fine." Keith admitted. "I just don't feel like 'that' about her."

"Why not?" Laurie refused to give an inch. She wanted an answer.

Keith moved to the window. He didn't know if he could look at Laurie while he confessed one of his darkest secrets to her. "It's personal."

"Well, of course it is. But you can tell me." Laurie assured him.

"Laurie, you're Brenda's best friend. You couldn't tell her this." Keith glanced over his shoulder to find Laurie watching him closely.

"Why not? We tell each other everything." Laurie got up to stand closer to him. She wanted to be able to see his face and he kept turning away.

"I know. That's why I'm not sure if I should tell you this." Keith pushed back the curtain to watch Danny, Chris and Tracy get called in from playing in the back yard.

"Alright, then whatever it is, I won't tell her." Laurie put her hand on Keith's arm trying to connect with him.

"Laurie, I can't go out with Brenda, because….." Keith still wasn't sure he should tell her. Could he trust her with his deepest, darkest secret? Not even Gordy and Skizzy were aware of his true feelings. They just thought it was a hopeless crush.

"Keith, you can trust me. I promise." Laurie squeezed his forearm.

Keith looked down at their physical connection and wondered if that connection went far enough. They'd had four years alone together before Danny came along. Were they close enough to share their deepest secrets and not let each other down? Laurie had matured a lot in the last couple of years, but would she understand how he felt?

"Laurie, I can't in good conscience date Brenda because…." Keith paused. He needed to pick the right words.

"Because?" Laurie prompted.

"Because, I have feelings for someone else and it just wouldn't be right." Keith finished lamely.

"Keith, if you have feelings for someone else, why aren't you dating her? I know it's not Cindy. You said she was the most boring person you'd ever met. So who is it?" Laurie frowned as she ran through the seemingly endless list of girls he'd dated over the summer.

"Laurie…." Keith got no further before he saw the light of understanding finally dawn on her.

"Oh my god – it's Brenda's sister." Laurie whispered.

Keith just nodded his head and looked back outside.

"But Keith, she's older than you. She's a junior." Laurie reasoned.

"I know all that. I've tried to talk myself out of it. Why do you think I've been dating so many girls? I'm trying to put her out of my mind. So far, no such luck." Keith admitted quietly.

"Oh, Keith, I'm sorry." Laurie hadn't fallen in love yet, but she could guess how much it hurt to love and not be loved in return. She'd read enough articles about the subject.

"No, I'm alright with it." Keith said in his most upbeat voice.

"No you're not." Laurie shot down his attempt at lying.

"No, I'm not. But I have to be." Keith smiled sadly.

"So, that's why you won't ask Brenda out." Laurie finally understood.

"That's why." Keith agreed.

"What am I supposed to tell her?" Laurie laid her head on Keith's shoulder and gazed out at the backyard with him.

"Anything but the truth." Keith moved away from her and grabbed her chin to make sure he got his point across. "Telling her that I have feelings for her sister would be worse than a slap in the face. And, besides that, what would it do to the relationship she has with her sister?"

"I get it Keith. I can't tell her the truth. I know that. I'm just not sure how I'm going to tell her that I wasn't successful in getting you to take her to the party. I pretty much told her it was a done deal. With you owing me and all." Laurie smiled weakly at her admission.

"Find her another date. Tell her that I'm out of town or something." Keith suggested.

"You never go out of town." Laurie smiled at his sad attempt at lying. "No wonder you never lie. That one was awful."

"Yeah, well, I'm better at other things." Keith joked.

"I'll say. Don't worry brother dear. I'll protect Brenda's feelings and keep your secret." Laurie patted his cheek. "Good thing I love ya so much."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Shirley picked Keith and Laurie up from school the day that Keith had to go to the doctor to get his stitches removed. Shirley watched them walk to the car from separate directions. Keith got there first and took his usual spot in the front seat. Laurie was moments later, waving good-bye to her friends as she slid into the back seat.

"Hey, Keith!" They all looked at the source of the shout from a few feet away.

Keith grinned and watched Beth jog up to the window. She leaned over and looked inside. "Hi Mrs. Partridge, Laurie." Then she turned her full attention to Keith saying, "I just wanted to wish you luck."

"For what?" Keith asked surprised not only that she was talking to him again, but that she was wishing him luck for something.

"I assume you're getting your stitches out today, right?" Beth grinned at his look of bewilderment.

"Yeah, how do you know that?" Keith had forgotten that he'd mentioned it last week when she'd helped him with his locker. He'd gotten pretty handy since then in getting it open by himself.

"You told me. Last week." Beth reminded him when his look of bafflement still didn't leave his face.

"Oh, right. I remember now." Keith grinned back. "Thanks."

"Let me know how it goes, alright?" Beth stepped back and waved as she walked away.

"Who was that?" Shirley asked as he son's face held the grin even after she'd pulled carefully away from the curb.

"That was THE most popular girl in the whole high school." Laurie chimed in from the back seat. She watched Keith's head whip around quickly to look at her and throw her a glance that reminded her she had promised to keep his secret. Laurie just grinned and continued, "She also happens to be Brenda's sister. That's how she knows Keith."

"Oh." Shirley said and watched her son's tense body relax at his sister's words. There was definitely something going on that she wasn't fully aware of. She'd have to watch closely and maybe take the opportunity to talk to her daughter.

xoxo

Shirley sat in the waiting room with Laurie, once again her ever more independent son had requested that she not come into the exam room for the procedure. She wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want her to see him cry if it was painful or if he just didn't think she could handle the site of one of her children in pain. So, instead of being with her son, she found herself alone in the waiting room with her daughter.

"Laurie, what's going on with Keith and this girl who stopped at the car earlier?" Shirley decided to find out what she could while she had Laurie alone.

"What do you mean?" Laurie hedged.

"Well, I don't think high school has changed all that much since I was a girl. And, a girl like that would not be talking to Keith unless they were at least friends." Shirley turned more fully toward Laurie so she could gauge her facial expressions.

"I don't know mom. Maybe they are friends." Laurie refused to look up from the magazine she was flipping through on her lap. Though she wasn't exactly lying, she knew that Keith had feelings for Beth. What she didn't know was how Beth felt. And, she sure wasn't going to ask Brenda if she knew. As it is, she had been forced to lie to her friend about Keith already having a date for the night he was supposed to take Brenda to the party.

"You don't know, hmm?" Shirley wasn't sure if she should believe that one or not.

"Nope? Now that we're not in the same school, I hardly ever see Keith. You know that." Laurie looked up now that she wasn't telling a fib.

"Yes, I suppose that's true." Shirley watched a relieved smile appear on her daughter's face. There was more here, but she wasn't going to get anywhere until she knew what the right questions were to ask.

Her attention was drawn from Laurie by a nurse saying, "Mrs. Partridge? The doctor would like you to come back to the exam room for a few minutes."

"Oh, of course." Shirley got up and then looked at Laurie. "You'll be alright for a few minutes?"

"I'll be fine. Go." Laurie picked up a new magazine to keep herself busy.

She followed the nurse back to the exam room and found Keith sitting on the table and the doctor sitting on a chair while asking Keith to move certain fingers when requested.

"Oh, there you are, Mrs. Partridge. I just wanted to show you the exercises that I've given Keith to loosen and strengthen the muscles and tendons in his hand." Dr. Johnson said as he got up to grab a sheaf of papers from the table. "Keith should do these exercises, once in the morning and once at night. No guitar playing for at least another couple of weeks. Understood?"

The doctor waited to see both his patient and his mother nod at his statement. He then proceeded to show both of them what was expected. Shortly after, Keith left the office with just a small piece of gauze wrapped around his hand to protect the area that had so recently had the stitches removed. He wiggled his fingers and noticed only a tinge of pain. He grinned at the feeling of freedom and the almost total lack of pain.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Shirley smiled noticing Keith wiggling his fingers.

"Feels great. I don't suppose I could play just a little guitar in a couple of days, hmm?" Keith tried to finagle a reprieve. He'd missed playing.

"No. Sorry. You will follow the doctor's orders to the letter." Shirley smiled at his suggestion.

"He never mentioned the piano. How about if I play that instead? Or the drums?" Keith knew he wasn't really going to do it; he just wanted to see how his mom would react.

Shirley, noticing the twinkle in his eye, played along. "Well, he didn't mention that, so I suppose you could try it." Seeing his surprise, she continued, "As soon as you eat all your lima beans for dinner."

They both knew how much he hated lima beans. "I can't fool you, mom, can I?"

"No you can't." Shirley agreed and added in her head, 'And I sure hope that never changes.'

xoxo

Keith went in search of Beth the next morning at school to keep his promise to let her know how his doctor's appointment had gone. He never did find her before homeroom and was once again looking for her during his lunch period.

He noticed her across the quad with her usual group of friends. They were all laughing and having a good time, so Keith sat down under a tree with Gordy and Skizzy to eat his lunch and keep an eye out for an opportunity to find Beth alone. He didn't want to walk up to her while she was with all of her friends. He wasn't that masochistic. He knew they'd pick on him.

His lunch period was almost over and Gordy and Skizzy had headed out to their next class when Keith watched most of Beth's group break up and go their separate ways. Beth and Greg were the only two left and he noticed that their conversation did not look friendly. He was going to walk away and try finding her after school when he noticed Greg grab her arm and pull her back when it appeared she was trying to walk away. He watched for another minute and noticed Beth practically cowering away from the now aggressive Greg.

Keith could no longer ignore what appeared to be a male trying to intimidate a female. His parents had raised him to never mistreat a female; a lesson that Greg's parents had apparently forgotten to teach him.

Keith plucked up his courage and walked toward the obviously arguing couple.

"Ummm, excuse me, Beth?" Keith said as he walked up.

"Go away, kid!" Greg yelled at him without turning his head all the while glaring at Beth.

"No, that's alright, Keith. What did you want?" Beth tried tugging her arm away from Greg's tightening hold.

"Could I have a word with you? Alone?" Keith tried being vague in hopes that Greg wouldn't do anything too bad while he knew he had a witness.

"Greg, let go of my arm." Beth whispered vehemently at him and then rubbed her arm as he finally let go. "Come on Keith, let's go talk over there."

Keith let Beth grab his arm and turn him away from Greg pulling him forward. Greg couldn't resist a parting shot as they walked away. "I'll remember this one, freshman." It appeared that Greg didn't know who Keith was for which he was extremely grateful.

"Beth, this isn't over." Greg yelled as they got further away. At his words, Keith felt Beth tense next to him and she sped up their pace.

"Hey, are you alright?" Keith asked her as she kept them moving. She didn't answer and they kept walking further and further away from the school. "Where are we going?"

"Far away from Greg, the jerk." Beth whispered.

"Ummm, Beth, I have class in a couple of minutes." Keith reminded her. "So do you."

"Oh, right. I forgot." Beth answered as she suddenly stopped walking at Keith's reminder. "You can go."

"No, not until I know you're alright." Keith had yet to get a good look at her face. She'd been walking slightly in front of him and had refused to look in his direction. "Are you crying?"

"Oh, Keith. I'm just being silly. Don't worry about it. You can go to class." Beth assured him without conviction. She blinked hard trying to keep the tears at bay.

"No, that's alright, it's just Mr. Feltcher's algebra class. I'd rather make sure you're alright." Keith put his hand under her chin to turn her face toward him and get a better look at her.

When their eyes finally met, and she saw the look of concern in Keith's eyes, Beth's tears began to flow in earnest. The next thing Keith knew, his arms were filled with the quietly weeping female. He put his arms around her and started to whisper comforting phrases into her hair much like his mother would do when he'd hurt himself as a child. While she cried her heart out, Keith heard the bell ring for their next class; a class he obviously wasn't going to make.

Apparently his awkward attempt at comforting her worked, because not too long after, Beth pulled back and smiled a little weakly at him. "Thanks, I needed that. How'd you know?"

Keith just shrugged. He didn't have an answer, so he didn't even try.

"You can leave me now. I feel much better, thanks." Beth tried pushing him away again.

"Too late." Keith told her.

"What do you mean?" Beth frowned at him.

"The bell already rang. We're late. I'd rather skip than show up late." Keith told her with a weak smile.

"Oh, right. Well, in that case, let's get out of sight from the windows." Beth suggested and grabbing his hand this time, pulled him toward the bleachers of the football field.

She sat down and Keith, not sure what she had in mind, sat down tentatively next to her.

"So, why did you want to talk to me?" Beth finally remembered what Keith had said to her to break up her and Greg's fight.

"Got my stitches out." Keith wiggled his hand at her with just the small bandage wrapped around it.

"Hey, that's great news!" Beth smiled at him and Keith felt like he'd been kicked in the gut by a mule. She was stunning when she smiled. He could barely tell that she'd been crying recently. "Did the doctor say for sure that you could play again?"

"Yeah, he did. But I already knew I was going to be able to. I'd tried it the day after I got the stitches." Keith glanced down a little embarrassed that he'd let that slip.

"And you weren't supposed to do that, were you?" Beth had watched his reaction to his words and jumped to the logical conclusion. Besides, she knew how much his music meant to him and if something meant that much to her, she knew she'd have done the same.

"Not exactly." Keith mumbled.

"You are such a rebel, aren't you?" Beth laughed at his answer.

"Me? A rebel? Hardly." Keith laughed at her description of him but it had accomplished what she'd wanted, he was looking at her again. She loved the twinkle in his eyes when he smiled.

For a couple of minutes, they sat there grinning at each other. Keith was the first to look away, because his thoughts had turned toward kissing her and he knew that she would rebuff him immediately. His grin slid from his face and he looked out over the field searching for something to say.

"So, what were you and Greg fighting about?" Keith asked.

"Oh, the usual." Beth avoided the question. He'd actually been mad at her for running over to the car yesterday and talking to Keith. It was silly for him to be jealous of her….well, she guessed she would call it friendship, with Keith.

"It is not 'usual' for a guy to strong-arm his girlfriend. It must have been pretty intense." Keith pushed for more details.

"Well, if you must know, Greg is a jealous guy. He saw me talking with another guy and he was just letting me know that he didn't like it." Beth told the truth. She just left out one important detail. The guy he was jealous of was currently sitting right next to her.

"He can't do that with words? He has to lower himself to physical intimidation?" Keith wasn't buying that excuse.

"Well, it's more a matter of me refusing to argue with him and him trying to keep me around to say what he wants to say." Beth explained.

"You're defending him? Why?" Keith's eyes flew back to Beth's face. He couldn't understand her logic.

"Well, mostly because he's my boyfriend." Beth answered lamely.

"That does NOT give him the right to manhandle you. Ever!" Keith said vehemently.

Beth leaned forward impulsively and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You are so sweet to say that to me. But really, I'm fine."

Keith was momentarily stunned into silence. She'd kissed him of her own accord. Oh, alright, it had been on the cheek, but it was still a kiss. A show of affection. Was he wrong to be talking himself out of having a shot at dating her?

"Keith? Are you alright?" Keith finally heard Beth talking to him. How long had he not heard her?

"Fine. You were saying?" Keith pulled his brain back to the present and reality.

"I was just saying that maybe you'd like to come to the football game Friday night. I'll be here. To cheer for Greg, of course." Beth suddenly realized that her question may have sounded like a request for a date. She had to remember that her little sister still had a huge crush on this boy sitting next to her being so very nice to her.

"Yeah, I'll probably be there. Gordy and Skizzy were talking about it and we'll probably go." Keith looked away again. Just looking at her hurt sometimes – she was that pretty.

"Aren't you thinking of bringing a date?" Beth gently teased.

"I'm not dating anyone right now." Keith kept his head turned because he could feel himself blushing. Why did she make him feel so shy?

"Oh, really? So, all those stories of your wild dating life that Brenda told me were lies?" Beth knew they were true. She had watched Brenda cry several times while relaying Keith's dating exploits – exploits that did not include her baby sister.

"What? A guy can't ask more than one girl to go out? It's not like I was dating more than one girl at a time." Keith defended himself.

"Oops, sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. It's just that most guys I've known were looking for something a little more long lasting and serious." Beth explained.

Keith laughed a short quick laugh. Well, of course, anyone who dated Beth would want it to be for a long time. If Keith were dating her, he'd want it to be for forever. Then again, she had no idea that he was madly in love with her for which he was eternally grateful.

"Not all of us are looking to find Miss Right." Keith told her.

"So, you don't want to get married? Have kids?" Beth teased.

Her comments brought his eyes back to her again. "I'm fourteen. Marriage is the last thing on my mind."

"Oh, I know that. I guess I meant that if you dated someone for longer that you'd expect…..certain…..perks." She finished lamely. It was another subject that started numerous arguments between her and Greg. He wanted her to go all the way and she, so far, had held out.

"Ahh….I understand. Is that really what your and Greg's argument was about?" Keith had watched her eyes flit away after her comments and realized that he was likely right on base with his guess.

"Not today." Beth admitted and felt herself blushing. She hadn't blushed in years. What was it about Keith that made her make such personal comments? She hadn't even had this discussion with her older sister or her girlfriends and here she was sitting with a young boy who she barely knew, telling him her deepest, darkest secrets. "Look, we both better get back to our next class."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Keith stood up and offered his hand to pull her up besides him.

She smiled at his gentlemanly manners and put her hand in his letting him assist her. "Thank you kind sir."

Keith just laughed at her silliness and loosened his hold expecting them to walk back to the school. He was surprised to feel her grip tighten and he turned back toward her with a question in his eyes.

"I mean that in more than one way. The thank you. You really helped me work some things out." Beth answered his unspoken question.

"You're welcome." Keith said simply. He'd have added the suggestion that she drop Greg like a hot potato, but somehow he knew it would fall on deaf ears.

She started walking with his hand still in hers. As soon as they were within sight of the school, though, she dropped his hand and moved slightly away from him. She apparently didn't want to risk her reputation by being seen holding hands with a freshman.

Keith still smiled, though. She'd held his hand for several minutes without his making the first move. It gave him hope.

xoxo

For the rest of the week, Beth mostly ignored him. Though, on occasion, she would give him a secret smile when they passed in the halls.

Thursday night after school, on a trip to the hardware store with his dad, Keith asked a question that had been eating at him since his conversation with Beth.

"Dad? Why do some women stay in abusive relationships?" Keith blurted out shortly after they left the store.

Dan, surprised by the off the wall question, but knowing something had recently happened in his son's life to bring up such a strange subject, answered as truthfully as possible. "Well, I guess it mostly has to do with a lack of self-esteem."

"How so?" Keith just couldn't see how the most beautiful girl in school could have self-esteem issues.

"Well, most of the time the woman doesn't feel like she's worthy of anything more than she currently has. Sometimes that comes from being in a relationship with someone who belittles them so often yet subtly that they don't even realize that their self-esteem has taken a hit." Dan tried his best to explain an almost unexplainable phenomenon.

"Hmmm….makes sense." Keith said and then tried to apply his father's comments to what he knew about Greg and Beth's relationship. She was beautiful, yes, but did she really know that? He knew that she and Greg had been dating for about a year. Had he somehow, over that time, made Beth feel unworthy of anyone but him?

"Keith, why do you ask?" Dan needed to know. He suspected that Keith might know someone who was in an abusive relationship. Why else would he ask such a strange question?

"No reason, really." Keith tried to gloss over his question. He had no intention of telling his father anything about Beth's problems. Not until he was sure at least. Right now, he only suspected. Beth had always denied it, but twice now he'd caught her crying after fights with Greg.

"Keith, if you know someone who's in an abusive relationship, I'd like to know. See if I could help." Dan figured he might as well come right out and say what he meant.

"How would you do that?" Keith deflected the question, not wanting to snitch on Beth. However, if his dad could give him suggestions on how to help, maybe he could put them to use.

"Well, be there for them. Give them support. Make sure that they knew their true worth. Help to bolster their self-esteem so that they realized how destructive the relationship really was. Let them know that they have other options. Help them get out of the relationship." Dan suggested some simple ideas.

"Have you ever known anyone like that, dad?" Keith had to know if these suggestions really worked. "Someone in an abusive relationship?"

"Yeah, I did." Dan flashed back to his senior year in college.

"What happened?" Keith watched his dad closely. He'd noticed he'd tensed when he'd asked the question.

"I'm not sure I should tell you….." Dan stalled.

"Oh, come on dad, I'm old enough to hear it." Keith assured him.

Dan glanced quickly at his son who had a very serious look on his face. Well, if he was old enough to have asked the first question, he was old enough to hear the ugly potential results. "A good friend of your mother's and mine was in such a relationship with her fiancé. It was in my last year of college. We suspected that he had started hitting her. She'd show up in class with a black eye or a split lip. She always denied that Fred had hit her. She'd say she walked into a door or she'd slipped in the shower."

"We tried getting her out. Both your Mom and I talked to her several times, but she refused to admit her problems. One night, shortly after your mom and I had left her at her apartment, Fred showed up and beat her so bad that she needed plastic surgery to fix her face. He messed her up bad."

"Where is she now?" Keith just had to know.

"She's dead, son. She went back to Fred and within a year, he beat her so bad, she bled to death before anyone found her." Dan said quietly. "Keith, I ask you again. Do you know anyone in an abusive relationship?"

"I'm not sure, dad. And, I'd rather not say anything until I'm sure." Keith swallowed hard. He didn't want to tell his dad something he wasn't sure about. I mean, couples had arguments all the time. He'd never seen Beth with any bruises. Maybe their arguments were normal. Maybe he was blowing this all out of proportion.

"Well, if you ever do become certain, you'll tell me. Right?" Dan suggested.

"I'll tell you. I promise." Keith assured him.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Keith thought a lot about what his dad had told him and watched Beth from a distance the next day during lunch at school. She didn't appear to be having any self-esteem issues to him. She was dressed in her cheerleader suit and was the center of attention. She appeared to be eating it up too.

He sighed as he watched her perform a quick cheer with several of her cheerleader friends and then just turned away. He almost knocked over one of his classmates.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you." Keith grabbed her arms to keep her from falling over.

"Oh, that's alright. Most people don't see me. Even when they're looking right at me. The fact that you just turned around, well, you didn't stand a chance." Molly joked.

Keith just gave her a weird look and let his hands drop back to his side.

"You're Keith Partridge, right?" Molly felt foolish about her previous statement and realized he'd been put off by it.

"Yes, I am. You're Molly – from my English class." Keith answered.

"That's me." Molly looked down and Keith swore he heard her say, 'guess I'm not as invisible as I thought'.

"You're new in town, aren't you?" Keith ignored her mumbled comment.

"Mhmmm, we moved here just recently. No time to meet anyone before school started. Now, I'm just trying to figure out where everything is." Molly admitted.

"We've been in school for two weeks. You can't still be getting lost." Keith teased.

"You can if you're as directionally challenged as I am." Molly joked back. He was so cute when he smiled. She'd noticed him the first day of school and had been watching him closely since then. She'd hoped to catch his attention and see if she could get him to ask her out. Her hopes had been dashed earlier in the week when she'd seen him head off toward the football field with the very same girl she was sure he'd just been watching. Not only was she the head cheerleader, but probably the best looking girl at school. What chance did average looking Molly have to draw his attention away from that caliber of competition?

"Well, Molly, then let me show you the way to English class. It starts in just a few minutes." Keith said gallantly as he motioned Molly to fall in beside him.

"You, sir, are too kind." Molly's grin blossomed as she felt hope spring forth once more.

They bantered back and forth all the way to class. Keith had Molly laughing gaily the whole way. If her mother had seen her, she'd have been quite certain her daughter had been possessed by a happy demon. She hadn't had much to smile about since moving here and feeling like the loneliest girl in the world. One short walk with Keith, and she was a changed girl.

"Say, Molly, were you planning on going to the football game tonight?" Keith asked on a whim. He'd once again decided that mooning over Beth was a lost cause and he should start looking for someone who was right for him. Not someone who caused his heart to race and his breath to hitch. Someone who he could laugh with and who got his corny jokes. Molly, so far, was living up to that billing just perfectly. Besides with her dark hair and pansy blue eyes, she looked nothing like Beth.

"I hadn't planned on it. It's not something I usually do by myself." Molly admitted before thinking how pathetic that would sound. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was originally planning on going with some of my friends, but if you changed your mind and decided to go, I could pick you up around 6:30?" Keith formed the last sentence into a question.

"Are you asking me on a date?" Molly just had to be sure she wasn't misinterpreting his poorly worded request.

"In my own twisted way, yeah, I am." Keith joked.

Molly laughed at his chagrined look and rather than making him pay for asking her so late in the day for a date that night, she quickly said, "Well, then, I would be honored if you picked me up at 6:30. Is that enough time?"

Keith grinned at her. "The game starts at 7:00, that should be plenty of time. Why where do you live?"

"I live on Maple. But, the length of the walk isn't what concerns me. You'll have to come in and meet my parents." Molly informed him.

"Oh." Keith said as his smile melted from his face. "How long can that take?"

"How's about coming right after school." Molly joked but as she watched the look of panic cross Keith's face, she quickly continued. "I was joking. 6:30 is fine."

"Oh, that was a good one. You really had me going." Keith began to laugh at how easy it had been for her to pull his leg. "Come on, Mr. Manson will likely be taking roll in less than 30 seconds. We better get in there."

xoxo

Keith and Molly had a great time at the football game. They sat with Gordy, Skizzy and several other friends. Molly fit right in. She was funny and nice. Everyone accepted her right away.

No one, not even Molly noticed that Keith's eyes watched the cheerleaders as often as they watched the game.

He made a show of putting his arm around Molly and pulling her in for a quick hug when he'd caught Beth looking his way. He'd watched a frown come over her face from the corner of his eye and then watched her force a smile when he looked directly at her. He smiled back, but turned quickly away.

Later that night, after the football team had showered and joined the rest of the kids at the taco stand, Keith met Beth's eyes once again. She'd been watching him joke with his friends and Molly. She'd felt something that she refused to name, but that closely resembled jealousy wash through her just before Greg came up behind her and wrapped his huge arms around her.

"Hey, babe. Did you miss me?" Greg whispered in her ear.

"Always." She said as she leaned back into his big body. Her eyes were still locked with Keith's.

Keith, seeing her wrapped in the arms of her man of choice, turned quickly away and tried his best to ignore her and her group of loud friends. He'd thought he was doing a good job, but Molly's question made him realize he hadn't been as good at covering up his feelings as he'd thought.

"Is something wrong?" She'd asked.

"Wrong? No. Why do you ask?" Keith looked at her in surprise.

"You just got really quiet for a while." Molly said and then shivered a little. She'd forgotten a jacket and didn't think it would get this cold this fast.

"Cold?" Keith asked as he shrugged out of his jacket.

"A little. Thanks." She said as he threw the jean jacket over her shoulders. She snuggled into the warmth his body had left behind and inhaled deeply of his scent.

She was just absorbing the feeling of warmth, when Keith's arms went around her and he pulled her into his body. "Can't have my date catching a chill."

"No, we can't have that." Molly happily agreed as she snuggled her head under his chin. He smelled even better than his jacket.

They were supposed to have gotten a ride home with Skizzy's older brother, but he never showed up. With only a couple minutes to spare, Keith and Molly jogged up to her front door and laughed at their successful attempt to get her home before curfew. Keith, however, was going to be very late for his curfew. Molly lived on the opposite side of town. Oh well, there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Thank you, Keith, for a great evening. I had a wonderful time." Molly said as she turned to face him.

"Me too." Keith said and realized that he could say that with honesty. He hadn't been sure if he'd be able to put Beth out of his mind long enough to enjoy Molly's company. She'd been good for him. "Can I call you tomorrow?"

"I'd be hurt if you didn't." Molly admitted.

"Good." Keith leaned forward and touched his lips lightly to hers.

Molly sighed her pleasure at the kiss, but backed off quickly. "Though I'd love to continue that thought, I have to be through that door in 60 seconds. Good night, Keith. I had a lovely time."

"You already told me that." Keith teased as he accepted his jacket back from her.

"That was in case you forgot." What Molly did next, surprised Keith. She pulled him down for one more quick kiss "And, that was in case I forgot." With that, he watched her turn quickly and walk through the door with a quick wave over her shoulder.

He felt himself grinning as he began his long lonely walk home. He was going to be in deep trouble and very late for his curfew, but right now, he was in too good of a mood to really care.

xoxo

Keith went looking for Molly first thing on Monday morning to apologize. He'd been grounded because he'd missed curfew and he'd had his phone privileges revoked. He'd promised to call her and he felt awful that he hadn't been able to. His pleas to his parents had fallen on deaf ears. They'd told him that he should have planned things better if he'd wanted to call his new girlfriend the next day. Now, he needed to ask for forgiveness. He just hoped she didn't make him beg.

"Molly!" Keith yelled as soon as he saw her. She was standing and talking with a bunch of Keith's friends who she'd met Friday night.

"Hi, Keith." Molly said as he jogged up. Her answer was a bit reserved, so he knew she was mad at him.

"Can I talk to you? Alone?" Keith grabbed her hand and pulled her away when she nodded her agreement.

They walked to a quiet spot and he turned back to her saying, "I'm really sorry I didn't call like I promised. I got grounded and my parents wouldn't let me call. Otherwise I would have."

"Oh, in that case, you're forgiven." Molly's reserve melted quickly away at his explanation. She'd thought he hadn't called because he hadn't had a good time. She thought he'd found her lacking in some way.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Would you like to go to a movie next weekend?" Keith hadn't let go of her hand and now gently squeezed her fingers.

"I'd love to, but what about this weekend?" Molly looked a little disappointed. Did he have another girl he had to take out this weekend?

"Well, I'm grounded through the weekend. So, it'll have to wait. Sorry." Keith admitted sheepishly.

"You're grounded through the weekend? Seems a little long for being a little late on your curfew." Molly could commiserate, but it seemed a little extreme.

"Well, while I was gone on Friday night, the principal called and told them I'd skipped one of my classes last week. I guess I'm lucky it was only a two week grounding." Keith had been surprised when they'd brought up his skipping Mr. Feltcher's algebra class. He'd not forgotten he'd skipped it. I mean, how could he? He'd been with Beth. He'd just thought that after so many days had gone by that he'd gotten away with it. Boy, had he been surprised.

When they'd asked him why, he'd made something up about his lunch not having agreed with him and spending the period in the bathroom. They'd looked at him like they didn't believe it, but they hadn't come right out and called him a liar.

What he didn't know was that his dad had suspected it had something to do with the question he'd asked him the night before. He'd signaled Shirley not to push it and once Keith had been given his punishment and sent to his room, he'd filled her in.

They'd discussed what they could and should do, but realized that until Keith was willing to tell them more, there wasn't much they could do right now. They both agreed to watch him closely and get him talking as often as possible.

"You skipped a class? Man, you have more guts than I do." Molly brought Keith's attention back to her.

"It wasn't a matter of guts. A….friend….needed me." Keith wasn't really sure what label to pin on Beth, but 'friend' seemed to fit the bill.

"Oh, I see. Well, I hope you were able to help your friend." Molly wasn't really fishing for information, but she did sort of want to know if she had any competition for the guy she was quickly hoping would become her steady boyfriend.

"I guess so. Anyway, that's not important. Are you ready for Mr. Manson's English test?" Keith changed the subject and they talked until it was time for them to go to their first classes.

xoxo

Keith and Molly spent every free moment at school together over the next two weeks when they could finally go out on another date. They'd become good friends and talked about anything and everything over that time period. Or, at least, Molly had thought they had. The reality was that Keith had never told her about his love of music. Not yet anyway.

As his hand had healed, and as soon as the week was up, Keith was once again back to playing his guitar ceaselessly as soon as he got home from school. At first it had ached a little after he was done, but he had soon gotten the muscles used to the once familiar finger placements.

They were going to have an official celebration dinner when Dan came home that same night with big news of his own. He'd gotten a promotion at the office. It meant more money and a company car, but longer hours and more travel.

Shirley wasn't sure if she was pleased or not, but her husband was ecstatic at the promotion, so she put her fears aside and congratulated him as wildly as the kids did. The celebration dinner was a smash with both her husband and her son.

Not only was Keith celebrating his father's new success and his healing hand, but tonight was the official last night of his grounding. Tomorrow night, he'd be able to take Molly to the movies. He couldn't wait.

Though he loved playing music more than almost anything, he'd missed being able to talk to a girl. Oh, who was he kidding, he missed being able to kiss a girl. He was definitely taking her to a movie and sitting in the back row so they could neck the movie away. It sounded an awful lot like paradise to him.

xoxo

Keith and Molly were sitting at a picnic table at the taco stand enjoying their sodas and sharing a taco. Molly had insisted she wasn't hungry, but when Keith had sat down with a taco, she'd begun to start stealing bites when he would set it down.

"Sure you don't want your own?" Keith laughed as she set the taco down after 'stealing' her second bit.

"Nope, I'm too full to eat a whole taco on my own." Molly said around her mouth full of gooey goodness.

"Ah, yeah, I can see that." Keith had straddled the picnic bench and had scooted up close to Molly so that she sat in the V of his legs. He now pulled her even closer as she just grinned back at him.

"A girl needs to watch her figure you know. Tacos are very fattening." Molly reached up to wipe a nonexistent speck of food from the corner of Keith's mouth. She'd pretended it was there when she'd realized she'd been staring at his lips.

Keith reflexively reached for a napkin and started to bring it to his face. "No need. I've got it." Molly said just before leaning in and licking the exact same spot that still had nothing there.

"Thanks." Keith felt his eyes drifting closed and waited to see what she would do next. He was glad when she didn't pull back and settled her lips over his. They'd spent the two hours in the movie kissing and making out. He'd thought she might have had enough by now. He, on the other hand, would never get tired of kissing. He thought his love of kissing might just overtake his music before too long.

They were both surprised when someone cleared their throat just a few feet away. "Excuse me, Keith, could I talk to you for a second?"

Keith groaned and was tempted to keep his eyes closed. Molly had already jumped and pulled back sharply. She hadn't gotten too far, because Keith's arms kept her anchored near. He blinked his eyes open slowly to see Brenda standing very near with an angry look on her face. What could she want?

"Well?" She asked impatiently.

Keith struggled to remember what her question had been. Oh, yeah, she wanted to talk to him. Alone. About what, he had no idea.

He glanced behind her and saw Laurie looking the other way and trying to go unnoticed. "Laurie, what are you doing here?" Keith ignored Brenda, but threw the question at his sister.

"I'm not really here." Laurie refused to look at him. "Just pretend you don't see me."

"Keith, I need to talk to you." Brenda said again. "It's important."

"Fine. Molly, you don't mind do you?" When Molly nodded her head tentatively, not sure whether or not she should object, Keith finally loosened his hold and stood up slowly. "Laurie, would you mind keeping Molly company while I talk to Brenda?"

"Sure, Keith." Laurie walked very close to Keith and whispered on her way by. "I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen. I'm sorry."

Keith reached out to grab her arm and whispered back, "I know you did. And, thanks. Now, be nice. No telling her lies about me, alright?"

Laurie grinned at Keith and said innocently, "Who me?"

Keith just rolled his eyes and waved his arm motioning Brenda to precede him. When they were far enough away that they couldn't be overheard, but close enough that he could still see them, Keith turned to Brenda and said, "So, what was so urgent that you had to interrupt my date?"

"Sorry, about that. Really I am." Brenda bit her lip in indecision. When she'd marched over to him, it had been for the purpose of breaking apart their disgusting display. But, now that she'd actually accomplished that, she felt really quite silly.

"Whatever." Keith said in disgust and just waited for her to talk.

"Keith, why didn't you ever call me back? I mean, I know we had a good time at the dance in May. Why didn't we ever go out again?" Brenda just couldn't stop herself from asking what was still a mystery to her after all these months.

"Brenda, if that's what you wanted to talk about, this conversation is over." Keith said as he turned to walk away.

"No, I'm sorry. That's not what I wanted to talk about." Brenda stalled a little longer. She wasn't sure if she should bring this up with him, but he was the only male other than her father that she felt she could trust and her father was out of the question.

"I'm waiting." Keith said impatiently. If she didn't spit it out soon, he was definitely going back to Molly and their previous activities.

"Keith…." Brenda wasn't sure how to put this.

"Brenda, just say it." Keith grabbed her shoulders and came very close to shaking it out of her.

"It's Beth." Brenda blurted and then just stopped.

"What does that have to do with me?" Keith said that more to cover his concern than anything else. Had something happened to Beth? He hadn't seen her that night at all.

"Well, nothing…..really. At least I don't think so. I just needed someone I could trust." Brenda said evasively.

"Brenda." Keith said in warning.

"Oh, alright, fine. She came home early tonight and she was crying. Laurie was just about to go home. She'd come over after school and stayed for dinner." Brenda babbled still not getting to the point.

"Brenda, I'm still waiting to hear what any of this has to do with me. I haven't seen Beth since school and I certainly didn't make her cry." Keith was getting frustrated.

"I know that. You barely know each other. How could you make her cry?" Brenda said that to gauge his reaction.

Keith rolled his eyes and just looked at her.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, I asked Laurie to wait and went after her. She had brushed past us as we were about to walk out the front door. She wouldn't look at us at all, and I just knew something was wrong. I followed her upstairs and barged into her room without asking if I could come in. Normally, she'd have taken my head off for that." Brenda was still talking in circles driving Keith crazy. He put his hands on his hips and sighed loudly hoping Brenda would get the hint.

"Right, the point. Well, she was lying on her bed and really crying. I mean out and out sobbing. Not the kind of fake crying that some people do for sympathy. When I finally got her to calm down enough to talk, she told me to go away. Well, I didn't. I couldn't. Something was definitely very wrong. She wouldn't look at me, no matter what I said. Finally, I surprised her and dropped down onto the floor to look up at her." Brenda had tears in her eyes while she relayed the story.

"What, Brenda." Keith had grabbed her shoulders once again.

"Her cheek was bright red and her eye was just starting to swell a little. I think someone hit her or at least slapped her really hard. Oh, Keith, it looked like it hurt. A lot." Brenda finally finished.

"Where is she now?" Keith asked urgently.

"She's still at home. She wouldn't tell me what happened and when I pushed, she said she'd been practicing with the other cheerleaders and one of them had accidentally kicked her. I don't believe her. Do you?" Brenda looked up at Keith for confirmation of her fears.

"Brenda, I hardly know your sister. How would I know if she was lying or not?" Keith tried to cover the look he knew had come over his face when she'd asked him the question. No, he didn't believe her story. He was almost certain it was Greg who had hit her.

"You don't have to lie to me, Keith." Brenda said a little sadly. "I saw you two."

"Saw who?" Keith frowned at her.

"You and Beth. A couple of weeks ago. I saw you walking with her toward the football field. I was at the window in history class. It faces the high school. I saw you two walking away and then at the end of class I saw you walk back. You spent that whole hour together. Somewhere." Brenda spit out what had been bothering her since she'd seen them together. She'd seen them holding hands and then separating right after they'd come out in the open.

She and Beth had argued about it just that day, when Brenda had finally told her she'd seen them. Beth had denied that anything was going on. She'd told Brenda that Keith had been helping her with a problem and that they rarely talked. That he'd just been handy that day. She'd denied any kind of relationship, even friendship. But Brenda hadn't believed her, so she'd made a point of telling Greg about it when he'd showed up to pick her up for their date that night.

She'd been so sure she was right. Until she'd seen Keith and whoever the girl was who was talking with Laurie right now, that is. Now, she wasn't sure that she wasn't the reason Beth had been hit and had come home crying. Had she told Greg something that wasn't true?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Keith had told Brenda to go home and try to get Beth to talk to her. He also told her that he was sorry, but there was nothing he could do to help her. He told her that he thought she should tell their parents, but he was pretty sure she wouldn't do that. Mostly because he was sure that Beth had made her promise she wouldn't.

When Brenda and Laurie had walked away, Laurie with another apologetic smile, Keith had sat back down next to Molly. He'd really tried to forget about what Brenda had told him and get back to his date, but it just didn't work. He couldn't forget about it. He just kept picturing Beth's beautiful face all swollen and black and blue.

"Keith, is everything alright?" Molly asked when she realized Keith was once again miles away from the taco stand.

"Fine. Why do you ask?" Keith asked absently.

"Because since your sister and that other girl showed up, you've been a hundred miles away." Molly pointed out.

Keith meant to argue that it was less than a mile, but he knew that wouldn't make her feel any better. "Sorry, it's just that I think a friend might be in a bad spot and I'm not sure if I can do anything to help."

"You're going to try, though, aren't you?" Molly urged him. Even if this friend was the pretty girl who had interrupted them, if she was really in trouble, he had to help.

"Yeah, as soon as I can figure out how." Keith admitted with a sigh.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that." Molly leaned into him as he'd taken up his spot that he'd been forced to abandon earlier.

"You are?" Keith was surprised that she would agree he should help a female friend. Of course, she wasn't sure it was a female friend, though she had to suspect.

"You wouldn't be the kind of guy I could like. I mean really, really like, if you didn't help a friend in need." Molly glanced up into his surprised face.

"You know, you really are too good for me." Keith grinned at her.

"I know. But, let's not tell anyone else. Otherwise they'll wonder why I still go out with you." Molly joked. "Do you want to call it a night?"

"Would you mind?" Keith smiled weakly at her.

"Yes, but you'll make it up to me, right?" Molly teased.

"That's a promise." Keith kissed her quickly before standing up and pulling her up behind him. "Come on, I'll walk you home and give you a proper goodnight kiss."

"Oh, be still my heart." Molly grinned happily.

xoxo

Keith barely slept that night and then called over to the Morgan's in the early afternoon. He'd waited until he knew they'd be back from church and have eaten lunch. He didn't want any lame excuses for Beth not taking his call.

She refused it anyway.

"Brenda, is she alright this morning?" Keith asked the only person he could speak to openly about the situation.

"She's really quiet. Other than that, I can't really tell. She was able to disguise the swelling and bruising with make-up, so it can't be too bad." Brenda told him in a whisper. She didn't want either her parents or her sister to know she was talking to Keith about it. As he'd suspected, Beth had sworn Brenda to secrecy and even bribed her with the threat to tell some of her secrets to their parents. It had worked, Brenda hadn't told anyone since she'd talked to Keith last night.

"Alright, well, I guess there's nothing else we can do. Just tell her I called, alright?" Keith told Brenda.

"I will. And, Keith, thanks. I'm sorry for interrupting your date last night too." Brenda said just before hanging up.

Keith wandered the house quietly most of the day and neither one of his parents could get him to open up about what had him so sad. He finally excused himself to go into the garage. When his dad asked if he wanted company, Keith had refused him and walked through the half door out of the kitchen.

Shirley and Dan exchanged a worried glance.

"Let's give him some time. Eventually he'll come to one of us." Dan said philosophically. He was very close with his son and, though he knew he'd never tell him the details of his dates, he had shared some of his impressions of the girls he'd dated. He knew that sooner or later, Keith would come to him for advice.

"I'm sure you're right, but it's hard to watch him walk around that sad. It's something big Dan. I hope he doesn't wait too long before he comes to us for help. He's so young yet." Shirley reminded Dan.

"Shirley, he's a teenager. Things are different than when we were kids. They grow up so much more quickly." Dan repeated the phrase that parents have been saying for generations. Though things may stay basically the same through time, no one's experience is ever the same as their parents was. "He knows we're here for him."

"I know, but it's a mother's right to worry." Shirley reminded him.

xoxo

Keith had been in the garage for more than an hour just aimlessly playing his guitar. As his melancholy mood settled around him, he realized that he'd been writing a tune on his guitar since he'd gotten there. Instead of letting the quiet tune leave him, he grabbed some blank sheet music and began to write it down.

After another hour, he really liked how the song sounded. Too bad he was so bad at writing lyrics. To this point everything he'd tried had ended up sounding bad if not downright awful. His dad had told him that he was pretty young to be writing lyrics. He told him that as life went by and he experienced more happy times and unfortunately, more sad times, he'd be able to write lyrics that meant something to not only him but to whoever listened to his music.

Keith wasn't sure if he ever wanted that to happen. He could do without experiencing lows like right now. He was so worried about the relationship that Beth had gotten herself into. Could he help her get out of it? Would she even let him try?

He was just about to head back into the house when he heard the door to the garage open. He didn't turn around because he was sure it was either his mom or dad. They probably wanted him to talk.

"I'm fine. I was just coming in." Keith said over his shoulder without turning around.

"I'd appreciate it if you waited a little while." Beth said quietly.

Hearing her voice caused Keith to spin around. His surprise was evident on his face, but it quickly melted into sympathy as he looked closely at her face. Knowing what he was looking for, he could easily see the swelling and the bruising just under her left eye.

He walked slowly over to her and put his hand up to her cheek gently. "Does it hurt very much?"

"Not any more." Beth smiled weakly. "I'm sorry I didn't take your call earlier. I just….couldn't."

"That's alright. You're here now." Keith kept his voice low and comforting. She looked like she might bolt at any moment.

"That's what I came to talk to you about. This has to be the last time we talk." Beth told him firmly.

"What? Why?" Keith asked surprised by her comments.

"Just because." She said lamely.

"That's not a good enough answer. There has to be a reason." Keith watched her closely and all of a sudden it hit him. "He hit you because of me? But why? We hardly ever talk to each other."

"No, that's not it." Beth said quickly, but couldn't meet his eyes when she said it. It told him what he already knew. She had lied.

"Yes it is or you'd have looked at me while you denied it. Is he that much of an idiot that he thinks you have feelings for me?" Keith knew she thought of him as a kid.

"He has no idea what you mean to me." Beth whispered and then more loudly in case he heard her and took that the wrong or even right way. "It doesn't matter what he thinks he knows. Someone told him that they saw us together. That day we talked at the football field. He knew we had held hands. He took that as a betrayal of our relationship. Innocent as it was."

"You're kidding. He hit you because you held my hand for, what? A few minutes?" Keith was flabbergasted.

"No, he….well, his reasons were that he felt I'd betrayed him. It didn't matter who it was with. It's my fault. I should have never done anything to make him doubt me. This is all my fault." Beth looked at the floor the whole time she was talking.

"Beth…" Keith was just about to try and tell her that none of the things she was taking the blame for could be blamed on her.

"Well, anyway, I just wanted to explain so that you didn't think badly of me. I won't be talking to you anymore. At all." Beth said and started to turn to leave.

"Wait. That's it? You're going to stop talking to me just because your boyfriend can't understand a simple friendship?" Keith had gently grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving. He didn't want to scare her or use force.

"Don't. Please. This is hard enough for me. I just wanted you to know that it wasn't anything you did." Beth looked at Keith for the first time in a while. Her eyes were sad and they were swimming with tears. "You are one of the sweetest, most kind people I know. I wouldn't want you to change. Not one bit. Because of something I did."

"Beth…" Keith felt her tug her hand away and she was out the door before he could even think to try and stop her.

Keith had stepped outside to see if he could catch her, but all he saw was her running toward her car and taking off. He let his head fall back and he looked at the quickly darkening sky wondering what, if anything, could be done to right this completely insane set of circumstances.

xoxo

True to her word, Beth completely ignored Keith at school. She never even looked in his direction. Ever.

Keith watched her closely and even called Brenda making her promise to tell him if Beth ever came home with new bruises. More than that, he couldn't do. Any attempts to approach her would likely result in Greg getting angry and lashing out at the very person he was trying to protect.

Molly tried on several occasions to get him to talk about it, but he refused. He didn't want any rumors floating around school however accidentally. He knew Molly would never tell anyone, but what if she accidentally gave something away. Or worse yet, someone overheard him tell her. It wasn't worth the risk.

Time passed with no new developments other than Beth seeming to become less and less vibrant as the weeks rolled on.

Christmas was only a month away when Keith was stopped in the hallway by the music teacher while walking to classes with Gordy and Skizzy.

"Keith, I understand you play the guitar." Mrs. Williams asked without preamble.

"Ummm…..yeah, I guess I do." Keith had no idea why she was asking and wasn't really sure he wanted to answer in the affirmative.

"I need your assistance for the next few weeks after school." At Keith's look of wariness, she smiled quickly. "Oh, it won't be too painful I assure you. My current guitarist has fallen sick with mono and won't be able to help the advanced chorus group practice for the Christmas concert. It's only a couple of weeks away and I need a stand in. You'll help us, won't you?"

"Well, I don't know." Keith waffled.

"Oh, please. It's Monday thru Thursday from 3:00 to 5:00. Beth was just telling me how talented you are and that she was sure you wouldn't have any problems learning the songs quickly." Mrs. Williams had said the magic words without knowing it. Keith needed an opportunity to get close to Beth without Greg being aware of it. There was no way Greg would set foot in the chorus room. Singing was for wimps, or so he'd been heard to say.

"I guess I could." He didn't want to seem too eager.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. Can you start today already?" Mrs. Williams asked.

"I'll have to go home to get my guitar. But, sure, I guess I could be back around 3:30 or so." Keith agreed.

"Wonderful. I'll see you at 3:30. You know where the chorus room is, don't you?" Mrs. Williams asked as she started to walk away.

"Sure." Keith assured her and then turned back to Gordy and Skizzy to see them grinning goofily. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that you are the only guy I know who is lucky enough to get asked to spend a couple of hours after school with the senior chorus group – of girls!" Skizzy ribbed.

"Yeah, Partridge. What is it with you and the women? Not only are you the only one in our group with a steady girlfriend, but now you get to spend hours more with older women." Gordy said in envy.

"Beats me." Keith turned away but couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face. He was a lucky sucker, wasn't he? He'd get to kill two birds with one stone. He got to play guitar for several hours a day without his mom being mad that he wasn't doing his homework and he got to see Beth for two whole hours without fear of being caught.

xoxo

Keith slipped into the chorus room quietly as the group was practicing a song accompanied by someone on the piano. He waited patiently for them to finish and for Mrs. Williams to notice him. He felt a little silly being the only male in a room full of women so he had no desire to draw attention to himself. He spent his time looking for Beth in the sea of singing females standing on risers. It didn't take him long to find her. He was pretty sure he could find her quickly in a much larger group. She just stuck out as the most beautiful female amongst a sea of good looking females.

Keith was watching her closely and didn't at first realize that they'd finished their song, but was quickly brought back to the present when Mrs. Williams spotted him and said, "Oh, Keith, good you're here."

Keith felt himself turning a light red and bent over to pick up the guitar case he'd set down next to him when he'd first walked in. "Where do you want me?"

Keith ignored the whispers he heard from some of the girls. 'I could think of several places I'd like to find a morsel like that' and 'I'd like to show him a few places, starting with Muldoon's Point'.

Mrs. Williams ignored the giggles and whispers too, waving Keith over to the piano and a chair that was sitting just to the side. He set his guitar case on top of the piano and pulled out his favorite guitar. He grabbed a pick and sat down.

"Here's the sheet music for the first number we want to do. Oh, umm, you do read sheet music, don't you?" Mrs. Williams finally thought to ask. She realized that some people played by ear rather than actually being able to read music.

"Yes, Mrs. Williams, I can read sheet music." Keith smiled patiently at her.

"Oh, good. That's good." Mrs. Williams blew out a breath. "This isn't too complicated, is it?"

"No, it's fine. Maybe I should audition for you or something." Keith joked trying to lighten the mood. Several of the girls heard his comment and laughed.

Mrs. Williams realized how patronizing she was being to the person she had so recently almost begged to help her out. "No, that's alright. I just forgot that Beth had told me you were a musical genius and wouldn't have a problem with any of this."

Keith's eyes flew to Beth as she squirmed a little at the choice of words she'd used and that it had been her praise that had gotten Keith this temporary engagement. She refused to look at him and was doing her best to deny any part in this from the girls directly around her who were teasing her about how she knew about Keith's talents.

"Alright, ladies, that's enough. Ok, Keith anytime you're ready you can begin the intro. Ladies, remember your cues." Mrs. Williams took her place in front of the young women and put her arms up to begin the song.

Keith began to play and the girls sang right on cue. Keith thought they sounded good enough and wondered why they were still practicing so much with the concert a few weeks away, when things went horribly wrong. The altos did not come in on time and it threw the timing off completely. Keith now knew why they were practicing.

He played the song at least 6 times before Mrs. Williams allowed them to move on to the next one. By the time 5:00 rolled around, Keith was bored with the repeating of the songs and his fingers were cramping. He was glad Mrs. Williams called an end to the practice.

"Alright, ladies, we'll see you back here tomorrow at 3:00. Don't be late." Mrs. Williams turned from her departing chorus to Keith who was settling his guitar into the case. "Beth wasn't kidding when she said you're very talented. Why don't you join the chorus or band?"

"My musical tastes run a little different from what the school would approve of." Keith decided to answer truthfully right away so that she wouldn't push him any harder.

"Oh, I see. And, I don't blame you. My tastes weren't exactly the same at your age either. And, no, it hasn't been that long ago." Mrs. Williams exchanged smiles with her new guitarist. "Have you already started a band of your own?"

"No. I haven't even really thought too much about it." Keith said as he snapped the buckles closed on the case. "Well, if that's it, I have to get home."

"Oh, sure. And, thanks again. We'll see you, tomorrow, right?" Mrs. Williams had noticed Keith's boredom with having to repeat the songs and just hoped he lasted until her normal guitarist made a full recovery.

"I'll be here." Keith assured her as he walked out.

The chorus and band rooms were down a hallway that was rarely traveled by students. They were separated from the other classrooms because of the noise levels that were often achieved in these rooms reserved for music. Keith started walking down the deserted hallway and was surprised when a shadow appeared in front of him.

"Hi, Keith." Beth said quietly not having meant to surprise him.

"Oh, hi Beth." Keith stopped and glanced around surprised that she was talking to him after their last conversation.

"I hope you don't mind my mentioning your name to Mrs. Williams. I know that had to be really boring for you." Beth apologized.

"It wasn't that bad." Keith said with a fake smile.

"Yes, it was and you know it." Beth's genuine laugh made Keith laugh too.

"Alright, it was." Keith admitted.

"Ummm….I was working on a solo with Shelley. She's the guitarist who's sick." Beth shifted from one foot to the other. She felt silly having to ask for his help after telling him so recently that she never wanted to talk to him again.

"And, you need my help." Keith finished her thought for her. At her timid nod he continued. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"I have to." Beth watched Keith frown at her answer.

'Wow, that was flattering' was all he could think. A girl who wanted to spend time with him only because she felt like she had a gun to her head was not his idea of an ego boost.

"I'm sorry that came out all wrong." Beth said as she watched his emotions chase across his face. "You know I've always enjoyed spending time with you. But you also know why I haven't been. Things are so much better for me right now. I don't want to ruin it. I know I'm asking a lot, but you'd have to do this without anyone knowing. And, I mean anyone."

"Beth, you're not making it any better." Keith felt each word like a needle. To hear someone say that things were so much better now that he was out of their life didn't make him feel better.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm messing this whole thing up. I'm sorry I even brought it up. I'll just leave." Beth said turning away.

"No, wait. I'll help. Just don't try explaining why we have to keep it secret." Keith couldn't deny his help.

"You will? Even after……?" Beth let it trail off.

"Yeah, but just where are we supposed to do this?" Keith pointed out her flaw in asking for his help.

"Your garage?" Beth asked hopefully.

"That might work. It'll have to be kind of late. If Danny is still awake, he's likely to pop in at anytime. Say around 9:00? If it's that late, I'll have to tell my parents. But if I tell them I'm helping a friend they shouldn't have a problem with it." Keith suggested.

"You'd do that? For me?" Beth's face lit up with a smile.

"Sure. What're friends for?" Keith grinned back.

"Oh, thank you!" Beth said and spontaneously hugged him. However, the second she realized what she was doing, she pulled back quickly. "Sorry."

Before Keith could say anything else, she was gone.

xoxo

Keith decided to start with his Mom. She was usually the more sympathetic but also the harder one to put something over on. At first she'd questioned him as to why so late, but after he'd explained that the girl was really shy and didn't want anyone else from the family accidentally walking in on them, she'd reluctantly agreed. 'So long as your father is alright with it too' had quickly followed and Keith had gone off to clear it with his dad.

"Keith, is there something you're not telling me?" Keith was surprised when his dad asked him that. He had been so sure that his dad wouldn't question anything so long as his mom had been alright with it.

"No, why?" Keith hedged.

"Oh, I don't know. Seems a little clandestine. Are you trying to cheat on Molly?" Dan thought he might have caught his son in a lie when Keith looked quickly away.

"No, Dad. That's not it." Keith looked back at his dad without even trying to hide which told Dan that what he had just said wasn't a lie. But, there was definitely something going on.

"What is it then?" He pushed.

"She's the one with the jealous boyfriend, alright?" Keith said quietly.

"Ah." Dan suddenly realized that this girl was likely the one who Keith suspected was in an abusive relationship. "I'm alright with this then. Just don't stay out past your curfew."

Dan watched his son smile and walk away. He hadn't questioned him further because he knew he'd gotten as much out of him as he was going to for the night. However, he planned to find out her identity just in case.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Dan and Shirley had watched Keith head out to the garage and only moved into the kitchen once they knew he'd be inside and unable to see them watching the garage door. They knew that he would be angry with them if he realized they were spying on him, however innocently.

They had been watching the door intently for a few minutes when the phone rang.

"Get that before it wakes the kids." Shirley instructed Dan as he was closer to the phone.

"Sure thing." Dan reached for the phone and, without taking his eyes from the garage door, said. "Hello…..Oh, hi Amanda…..sorry, Mom….yes, she's right here…..no problem…..here you go."

Shirley had turned to him as soon as she'd heard him say her mother's name. Why in the world would she be calling so late? This couldn't be good.

Shirley grabbed the phone from Dan and turned away from the window leaving Dan to keep a vigil on their son. "Hi, mom, what's wrong?.....You wouldn't be calling so late if something wasn't wrong…..Again?.......No, I didn't mean anything by that……Of course you can come for a visit."

Shirley glanced at Dan to find him frowning at her and not watching the garage door. She waved him back toward the window and mouthed, 'I'll explain in a minute'.

"Alright, Mom, we'll expect you tomorrow afternoon. Goodnight." Shirley hung up the phone and sighed. "They're fighting again."

"You don't say." Dan tried keeping one eye on the garage and the other on his obviously worried wife. "What'd she say?"

"She said that dad had left for his fishing trip with his friends even though she had asked him not to. She plans on paying him back by not being home when he gets back. Thus the visit." Shirley relayed the essence of their conversation but had not forgotten why they were standing in the kitchen. "Have you seen anyone go in yet?"

"No, I haven't. I'm guessing his friend was already in the garage by the time he went out. So, when is she arriving?" Dan turned from the window in frustration. He just missed the shadow that slid quickly through the barely opened door.

"She'll be here before the kids get home from school." Shirley welcomed her husband's comforting arms as he enveloped her in a big hug.

"Good, she'll be here while I'm gone on my next business trip. You'll have help and won't be so lonely." Dan reminded her.

"Lonely? In a house full of five kids. Unlikely. But, thanks for the thought. If it weren't for the extra money, I'd tell you to give up your promotion and stay home." Shirley snuggled against her husband.

"I know, but pretty soon we can start putting away for the kid's college educations." Dan reminded her of their previous conversations and the main reason he'd taken this job even though it meant less time with his family.

"I could take that job at the bank. That way we could start saving too." Shirley sighed. Tracy wouldn't be in school until next year, but she was sure Mrs. Monahan wouldn't mind watching her while she worked part-time.

"No. I'd rather you didn't have to work. Not yet anyway. The kids are still young enough to need you more than we need the money." Dan assured her.

They stood in companionable silence for several minutes when they finally heard faint sounds of a guitar and a pretty voice coming from the garage.

"Guess Keith's friend arrived while we were otherwise occupied." Dan chuckled at their doomed plan to spy on their son.

"Guess so. We'll have to try again tomorrow night." Shirley pulled away and tugged Dan back into the living room. "Come on, if he comes in and finds us in the kitchen we'll have some explaining to do."

"Lead on my brilliant and beautiful wife." Dan followed her away from the sound of Christmas music.

xoxo

"Well? What'd you think?" Beth asked nervously. She really respected his opinion when it came to music.

"Honestly?" Keith hedged.

"Well, of course." Beth frowned and then realized why he was withholding his opinion. He hated her singing voice. "Oh my god! You hated it!"

"No, that's not it." Keith said quickly.

"Yes it is or you'd have said that it was good right away." Beth reminded him.

"It's not bad." Keith couldn't lie. He just couldn't.

"Oh, well, that's alright then." Beth said sarcastically. "I'll get up in front of hundreds of people and sound, 'not bad'. That does it. Tomorrow I'm going to tell Mrs. Williams that I am NOT doing a solo."

"No, Beth, wait! That did not come out right. I'm sorry." Keith grabbed her hand as she started to walk away from him. "It was good. Really it was."

Keith's pause marked his words as the fib that they were.

"Keith, I asked you to be honest." Beth tugged at her hand which he easily let go. It was so different than the time she spent with Greg. He was always trying to physically dominate her. Keith treated her like an equal and never tried to force her to do anything.

"Fine." Keith sighed. "Honest – I can do that. I think the song is in a bad key for you." There he'd said it.

"That's it?" Beth was surprised by his answer.

"Well, yeah. You have a good singing voice. This song is just a little too high for your natural range. If I play it an octave lower, you won't have to struggle to hit the high notes. Let's try it." Keith suggested.

"Sure. That sounds logical." Beth was almost relieved by his suggestion. She'd always struggled to hit the high notes and this should help, right? She was at least excited to try.

Keith started the song again and waited for her to come in. Even with it, she started on the same note as before. He immediately stopped playing and waved her off.

"No, you're still singing in the old key." Keith pointed out.

"No, I didn't…." Beth started to protest.

"Yeah, you did. Hear, listen to the difference." Keith sang the traditional Christmas song in its original key and then sang it again in the lower range. Beth listened carefully and realized that he'd been right. She was so used to the song the way she'd heard it for years that she hadn't realized the subtle difference.

When Keith stopped singing, Beth grinned at him and said, "I get it. Let me try again."

Keith grinned back and started to play. Beth joined in the lower key and finished the song without straining her voice.

"Oh, I liked that much better." Beth laughed.

"Yeah, me too." Keith grinned as her smile slid from her face. "Hey, you asked for honesty."

"That I did." Beth said as her smile quickly returned. He was so easy going.

"You want another suggestion?" Keith thought he might as well see if she was really willing to mix things up seeing she'd been so happy with his first suggestion.

"Sure." Beth agreed.

"Why not sing it a little differently than you would traditionally hear it." At her look of consternation, Keith quickly continued. "Look, your voice is a little lower but it's very rich. I think that maybe you could add a little bit of soul to it."

"Me? Soul? I don't think so." Beth quickly tried putting him off.

"Fine, but I think it would….oh forget it. If you're too chicken to even try it." Keith watched her out of the corner of his eye. He was hoping his challenge would get her to at least try it.

"Too chicken!" Beth's look of hurt surprise quickly melted away as she saw a smile flirt with Keith's lips. "Oh, I get it. You think that you can manipulate me. Alright fine. Show me what you mean."

Beth didn't at first realize that his manipulation had worked exactly as he'd planned it. She was willing to listen and probably try exactly what he was suggesting. She listened as Keith jazzed up the guitar accompaniment and then began to sing the song with a tinge of the blues. He had been right. The way he sang it gave the song a whole new feeling. It now had soul. But, could she pull it off the way Keith had? He had loads more talent than she did. Dare she even try?

She did because when Keith had finished, he'd looked at her with such a look of challenge that she'd told him to start playing again without giving herself time to think.

Keith listened to her sing while he played and couldn't stop the smile from forming. She sounded great! She'd just been too unsure of her own talent to give it a try.

Beth, too, was pleasantly surprised by how good she'd sounded in the slower version of the song. She'd actually felt the music rather than just singing it.

"You, Keith Partridge, are brilliant! I loved it." Beth leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

As she backed off, she realized what she'd done and immediately apologized.

"No problem." Keith said quickly hoping she wouldn't dwell on her impulsive action. "I've got other ideas. Care to try them?"

Beth quickly lost her moment of panic and agreed. If Keith could ignore 'the kiss', so could she. She would make darn sure not to repeat it, though.

Before they knew it, it was going on eleven and Keith had to get inside. Beth went home and found herself smiling the whole way. She refused to examine what about the night had made her feel so good.

xoxo

Shirley's mother arrived the next day and immediately insisted that she and Shirley start decorating for the Christmas holiday. Shirley knew it was to keep her mind from why she was really there, but she didn't argue. They wouldn't put the tree up until just before Christmas, but the other decorations were gotten out, cleaned up and put up.

While Shirley was putting away the last, now empty box in the garage, she stumbled across a sprig of mistletoe. She impulsively hung it just inside the side garage door. She intended on welcoming Dan home from his business trip in style and blaming it on the tradition. Her mind raced forward the few days. Oh, she missed him already and he wouldn't have even normally been home from work yet. She smiled at her whimsy.

xoxo

Keith raced through dinner and his homework so that he could be ready for Beth when she came over for her individual practice session. He had been looking forward to it all day. Just like before, all day at school, she'd ignored him and again at choir practice, she'd avoided his eyes at all cost. But, once she was in his garage, she was all his. She would be the same fun and funny person he'd started to get to know before she'd pushed him away to smooth things over with Greg.

He probably should have refused to help her as the chance that Greg would find out increased with every minute they spent together, but he just couldn't find it in his heart to care. Not now anyway.

He quietly walked behind his mom and grandma as they sat on the couch watching an old movie. He didn't bother telling his mom where he was going because she'd already given her approval. No need to draw their attention to him.

He waited only a few minutes before Beth came into the garage.

"Ready?" She said as soon as she saw him pulling his guitar from its case.

"In a second. Man, you're sure eager." Keith said as he settled himself on the piano bench.

"I found myself humming your new version of the song all day. It's definitely growing on me. I'd like to practice that version tonight, alright?" Beth's smile took his breath away.

Keith didn't trust his voice, so he just nodded.

They practiced her song for an hour, when she finally called a halt. "Wow, I think I've been singing too much lately. My throat feels a little scratchy."

"We can stop. I guess with choir practice and this session, you probably are singing a little too much." Keith agreed and started to put his guitar away. "I'll walk you to your car."

"Ok, thanks." Beth waited for him to finish settling the guitar into its case and glanced around the room while she waited. She spied the sprig of mistletoe just as she heard Keith snap the case closed. She grinned while she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Should she?

She watched Keith walk toward the door and then pause to look behind him wondering why she wasn't moving. He'd stopped directly below the mistletoe. She just could not resist. "Don't move." She instructed as she walked up to him.

"What? Why?" Keith couldn't help but ask.

"Look up." Beth said as she came to stand just inches from him.

Keith did as instructed and then looked back down with a puzzled look on his face. She'd made him stand under mistletoe? Why?

He didn't have to wait long to find out. She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. He jerked back in response. What was she doing? One minute, she can't talk to him at school anymore and now she's kissing him?

Beth watched the emotions chase across his face and held her thoughts at bay. She'd loved the feel of his lips on hers and didn't pull away. She waited with baited breath to see what he would do. She didn't have to wait long.

His surprise turned to eagerness in short order. He now took the initiative and putting his hands on her face, pulled her forward for another kiss. This one was not nearly as innocent as the one before. He pushed as far as she would let him. What he found out was that she was not going to say 'no' to anything. He deepened the kiss.

Beth opened her mouth to accept his questing tongue. Where had he learned to kiss? He was supposed to be more inexperienced, right? He was two years younger. Oh, but he must have had a good teacher.

Her thoughts of Keith kissing someone else made her jealous and she wound her arms around his neck to make sure he didn't pull back before she was ready. She wanted to be sure he remembered their kiss and forgot about anyone else's. All other thoughts, she pushed from her mind.

Keith was already beyond thought. He was on pure sensory overload. His hands slid from her face and he pulled her hard against his body. She fit him perfectly, was all he could think.

"What in the world?" A voice from behind Keith got louder as each word was uttered. The intrusion made Keith and Beth spring apart with Keith spinning around and attempting to shield Beth from the intruder.

As the fog began to clear from his brain, his eyes focused on his very angry grandfather. "Oh, ummm, Grandpa, what are you doing here?"

"Apparently stopping my young grandson from doing something foolish." He said trying to get a good look at the girl hiding behind his grandson.

"Dad, I thought I heard your voice. What's wrong?" Shirley asked as she came in behind her father.

"Your son is what's wrong. He was swallowing this young ladies face when I walked in." Fred said angrily.

"Keith?" Shirley turned to see her son turn a bright shade of red.

"Ummm, could you please give us a second? I'll be right in." Keith tried getting them to leave without having to introduce Beth.

"I don't think so, young man. Just who is the young lady hiding behind you?" Fred refused to let this one go.

Keith sighed heavily as he let his head fall forward and then looked at his mom with a pleading look. "Mom, please?" He said quietly.

"Come on Dad. Let's go inside." Shirley grabbed her father's arm and tugged him toward the door. She threw a warning look at her son while she ignored her father's protests and pulled him from the garage.

Keith understood that he was going to have to explain what had happened. Too bad for him he had no idea.

As soon as the door closed behind his mother, Keith felt Beth push away from him. She had apparently remembered where she was and who she was with. When he turned around to look at her, he knew his dream was over. She had a closed look on her face and refused to meet his eyes. He knew that she would bolt if he gave her the chance so he stayed in front of the door.

"I'm not sorry." Keith said quietly.

His unusual words brought her eyes to his. When she saw the sincerity in his eyes she answered. "No, I'm not either. But I should be."

"Why?" Keith just had to ask.

"For several reasons. One, I have a boyfriend. Two, you have a girlfriend. Three, my sister has a huge crush on you. Shall I go on?" Beth laughed bitterly.

"No, I'd rather you didn't." Keith smiled sadly. "So, I'll see you at school tomorrow and you'll ignore me as usual."

"I'm afraid so." Beth admitted.

Keith quietly stepped aside and watched her walk quickly away from him. If he could have thought of a good argument to keep her there, he might have tried. However, now that they were no longer kissing, his thoughts turned to Molly. If nothing else, he needed to break things off with her before he even considered trying to talk Beth into giving them a chance. Oh, who was he kidding? Beth would use him in secret and even reward him with kisses, but she would never date a guy two years younger than her. He was an idiot. There were no two ways around this one.

He could sure use his dad right now. He thought he might just need some fatherly advice to get him through this one.

When he got inside, he found his mom sitting at the kitchen table and his grandparents were nowhere in sight.

"Have a seat." Shirley invited.

Keith sat down tentatively and swallowed hard. He kept his head down and waited for her to start yelling. Her response surprised him.

"Keith, that was Beth Morgan with you in the garage, wasn't it?" Her quiet question brought his head up quickly. He'd expected her to be mad not concerned.

He just nodded.

"Are you seeing each other?" Shirley thought she knew the answer, but she had to hear it from Keith.

"Are you kidding?" Keith said without thinking and then softly continued when his mom's response was a look of understanding. "No, we aren't seeing each other. She's a junior. I'm a freshman. It doesn't work that way."

"I remember." Shirley smiled softly. "So, what was with the….ummmm….kissing?"

"I didn't start it." Keith said defensively and at his mother's raised eyebrow he finished. "But I did continue it."

Shirley glanced away to hide her smile. He was a typical teenage boy, though a bit more popular with girls than she'd have wished for. Too bad he wasn't more awkward around them like his father had been. It was one of the things that had attracted her to him in the first place, which made Shirley realize that no matter how awkward or not awkward Keith was around girls, he likely had his father's natural attraction to females. She knew that many of her friends had been jealous of the attention Dan had given her. It must be the Partridge male charm. Both father and son had it in spades. No doubt about that. "Keith, what about Molly?" She said trying to pull herself back on track.

"I wasn't thinking about her at the time." Keith wasn't proud of the admission, but he wouldn't lie. "It's not like Beth and I are going to start dating or anything."

"Keith, it's still not fair to Molly. I mean, you obviously have feelings for Beth." Shirley put her hand gently on her son's arm.

"It doesn't matter mom. She'll never return them." Keith said sadly.

Shirley frowned. It was obvious to her that Beth Morgan already had feelings for her son or her father would not have walked in on them kissing. Beth may not be ready to admit them and Shirley almost hoped that she never would be. She could see heartbreak written all over this situation.

"Keith, maybe you should see less of her." Shirley suggested.

"I can't; not right now. I'm helping her with her solo for the concert. It's in a couple of weeks. After that, she'll have no reason to see me anymore." Keith looked up. "Mom, I can't let her down."

"No, I suppose you can't." Shirley didn't want to discourage her son from helping someone, but she also suspected that once this excuse to see her son was taken from this older girl that she would find another one. Keith was being used – likely with neither Beth nor Keith even realizing it. "But, Keith, what your grandfather walked in on. That can't continue."

"It wasn't our fault. Someone put mistletoe up." Keith reasoned.

Shirley could have kicked herself. She had innocently played her part in the night's activities. Once again, she just raised an eyebrow at him.

"Which we could have ignored." Keith admitted sheepishly.

Shirley had to hide her smile. What teenager would deny himself the opportunity to kiss a pretty girl? Especially one as girl crazy as her son was? He was only a few short months away from being fifteen. She knew things would get worse before they got better.

She had every intention of making sure that Dan talked to Keith about, well, she wouldn't tell him the specific topic. All she'd have to tell him is what her father had seen and he could take it from there.

"Keith, go to bed. You have school tomorrow." Shirley kissed the side of his head just before his head jerked up in surprise.

"That's it? I'm not punished?" Keith said in surprise.

"Not this time." Shirley watched him get up. "Good night, honey."

"Night mom." Keith made a quick get away. If he wasn't grounded, who was he to argue?


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The next night, Beth called to cancel their rehearsal. She'd said it was because she wasn't feeling well, but Keith didn't believe her. He just assumed she was still feeling guilty about their kiss under the mistletoe and didn't want to see him again so soon. He moped around the house that night and quickly excused himself to go to his room.

He'd been getting critical stares from his grandfather all night who must have shared what he'd seen with Grandma as well because she was giving him strange looks too.

He sat at his desk and did some homework before finding himself yawning. He glanced at the clock to find that it was only 8:00. Why was he so tired? Come to think of it, he did feel kind of achy and his throat was a little sore. Maybe if he just lay down for a little while, he'd feel better and could finish his homework later.

He woke up to his mom sitting on the side of his bed and shaking his shoulder. "Keith, what are you doing sleeping on top of the covers?"

"Hmmm?" Keith mumbled confused at having his sleep interrupted.

"Keith, you were sleeping on top of the covers and you're still dressed. What's wrong? You're usually a night person. Are you feeling alright?" Shirley's questions were quickly followed with her putting her hand gently on his forehead.

Keith pushed her hand away and swung his legs around her to sit up. The room spun around him and his answer was quickly forgotten while he dealt with this latest physical issue.

"Keith, stay where you are." Shirley instructed as she put one hand on his shoulder to keep him seated and her other hand back on his forehead. He'd pushed her away so quickly before, that she hadn't been certain that he felt hot. Now that she had more time to rest her hand on his warm face, she knew for certain he had a fever. No wonder he hadn't eaten much at dinner. At first she'd thought it was because Beth had cancelled their rehearsal that night and he was just too sad to eat. Now she knew differently.

"Change into your pajamas. I'm going to get the thermometer." Shirley said as she got up from the side of the bed.

"Mom, I'm fine. I have to finish my homework." Keith said as he tried to stand up. The room did that funny spinning thing again and he sank back to the side of the bed.

"Fine, hmmm? I'll be right back. Don't move." Shirley said firmly and watched Keith close his eyes almost in relief.

A couple of minutes later, she was back with the thermometer to find that Keith hadn't moved from the spot she'd left him. "Open up and put this under your tongue."

Keith's mouth opened automatically and closed around the thermometer as his mom gently guided him back onto the pillows. She brushed his hair back from his forehead waiting the several minutes required by the thermometer. He felt awfully warm. She leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to his forehead. Her poor baby.

When she checked the thermometer, it read just over 101 degrees. He definitely had a fever and it was high enough to cause concern.

"Well, you have a fever. What other symptoms do you have?" Shirley asked. It was so much easier when a teenager was sick than a baby. At least they could tell you what was wrong.

"I have a sore throat, my head hurts and I ache all over." Keith admitted.

"Ok, let's have a look at your throat." Shirley turned his face toward the light and watched him squint at the pain the light caused him. She looked at the back of his throat and thought it looked pretty red. Wait a second; were those white spots on his throat? Oh, no. He probably had strep throat.

"What is it? You're frowning." Keith whispered as if talking hurt him.

"Well, I'm not a doctor, but I think you might have strep throat. Stay here and stay away from the other kids. I have no desire to have a house full of sick kids. I'll call the doctor and see if he can come and see you tonight yet." Shirley said as she got up from the bed and noticed Keith suppress a shiver. "See if you can work up enough energy to change into your pajamas and crawl under the covers. I'll be right back."

She leaned down to kiss his forehead one more time and then left the room.

About a half an hour later, she had her answer. The doctor confirmed that it was likely that Keith had strep throat and would miss the rest of the week of school. He'd know more once the throat culture was analyzed. Hopefully Keith would be well enough to go back to school the next week.

Shirley had to run to the pharmacy to fill the prescription the doctor had left. Thank goodness her parents were here. She could run tonight and get Keith's first dose of antibiotics coursing through his body before the next day.

xoxo

"Hey Molly! How's it going?" Gordy jogged up.

"Oh, hi Gordy. What's up?" Molly smiled as he tripped just before he reached her.

"Not much. Just thought maybe you'd know where Keith is." Gordy said looking behind him to see what had tripped him and noticing nothing.

"He's at home with strep throat." Molly grinned at Gordy's dumbfounded look. "Tripping over invisible tree roots?"

"Haha, you're a laugh a minute. Strep throat, huh? When did he get that?" Gordy tried to gloss over his klutziness.

"I'm not sure. We haven't seen each other most of the week. He told me he was helping a friend and he never came over to my house at all this week. Usually we'd watch TV or do homework together." Molly frowned. "Don't suppose you know who the friend was that he was helping?"

"Don't look at me. I haven't seen much of him this week either. He's been helping Mrs. Williams with the girls' choir after school and I haven't heard from him any night this week either." Gordy admitted. "Skiz doesn't know anything either. I just asked him."

"Well, I guess we won't be seeing him until next week then. Mrs. Partridge asked me to bring his homework over to the house, but told me that I couldn't visit Keith as strep is contagious. She was hoping he'd be well enough for school by Monday." Molly told him.

"Hey, I thought strep was passed on with saliva. I thought for sure you were the one to give it him. Aren't you feeling the least bit sick?" Gordy teased.

"Healthy as a horse." Molly said and then looked down to hide her disappointment. Had Keith been kissing someone else?

"Well, maybe you should be worried about your boyfriend kissing other girls." Gordy kept up the teasing not realizing that Molly was hurt by it.

"Just like a guy. Right away you think Keith is cheating on me." Molly shot back and then turned on her heels to walk away.

Gordy gaped at her as she stormed off. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings. He'd only been kidding, hadn't he? Keith wasn't kissing anyone else. As best friends they shared everything. If Keith was cheating on Molly he'd know it. Right?

Gordy spotted Skizzy and went to tell him the new information he'd just found out; besides he wanted to find out if Skizzy knew anything about Keith having another girlfriend.

Gordy never noticed Greg standing on the other side of the tree near where he and Molly had been talking. Nor did he see the angry look come over his face when he heard that Keith had the same illness that was keeping his girlfriend from school at the same time.

He was also angry to hear that the punk freshman was helping out the girls' choir. The same choir that his girlfriend sang in. The same girlfriend that had been busy every night earlier in the week with someone who was helping her with her solo. That someone who was starting to look like the same guy who had been holding hands with Beth only a few short weeks earlier. The same guy who Beth had denied having feelings for and the same guy who Beth swore meant nothing to her.

Greg hated being made a patsy, but it was starting to look like Beth had pulled the wool over his eyes on this one.

xoxo

Keith wasn't able to return to school until Wednesday. His fever had spiked over the weekend and he'd been weak and tired from not eating. He'd refused food the first several days as it hurt enough just swallowing; adding food had been excruciating.

He looked tired, but at least had enough energy to navigate the halls of the high school. His friends had welcomed him back with open arms and lots of teasing about how he'd gotten strep throat. He'd pushed them all off with the explanation that he'd gotten it from one of his siblings. No one would go so far as to check if that were true. By Friday, they'd forgotten all about it. Unfortunately, Greg was still doing a slow burn.

xoxo

The movie had been pretty good and now Keith, Gordy and Skizzy were enjoying a taco at the taco stand. Molly was out of town with her parents visiting relatives.

The three buddies had been joined by a big group of friends and the party had become quite boisterous.

Keith had excused himself to go to the bathroom and was returning to the group when he heard someone yell.

"You'd cheat on me with a punk freshman?" The male voice shouted from the end of the parking lot.

Keith couldn't hear the answer from the other person, but he could see Greg towering over a much smaller figure. A figure who was very likely Beth.

Keith stayed in the shadows but inched his way toward them watching to see what would happen next. He didn't have to wait long before he saw Greg slap the girl across the face. He didn't even pause to think about the fact that Greg was much bigger than him. He just ran over and yelled. "Hey, knock it off."

"Go away." Greg warned without looking up. He was enjoying the sight of his girlfriend cowering in front of him.

"No." Keith said with false bravado.

"No?" Greg finally looked up and realized that the person interfering was the same exact person who had caused this rift between him and Beth. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the trouble maker himself."

"Excuse me?" Keith was surprised and confused by Greg's comment.

"You're the one who's been swapping spit with my girlfriend, aren't you?" Greg said menacingly. "The one who she gave strep throat? The one she cheated on me with?"

Keith swallowed hard and tried lying. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, you don't, do you? Well, let me see if I have this right. You start helping out with the girls' choir and the next thing I know, my girlfriend has secret meetings with someone who's helping her with her solo. My superior reasoning skills lead me to one person and that'd be you." Greg said snidely.

When Keith didn't try to deny it, Greg continued. "Then, my girlfriend calls to cancel another date because she tells me she has strep throat. The next day at school, I overhear two scrawny freshmen talking about the fact that their friend has strep throat too. Coincidence? I might have believed that if not for all of the other evidence. All roads point to you punk; care to deny it? I didn't think so."

Keith couldn't bring himself to deny any of it but he also couldn't bring himself to leave Beth to face the obviously angry Greg. He'd hit her once already; if he left, who knew how many more times he'd hit her.

"Keith, go away. Please." Beth said with her hand still protectively over her left cheek.

"Yes, Keith – go away." Greg sneered at Beth as he said the words in a sweet voice. "Can't you hear what MY girlfriend is asking you to do?"

"Can't do that." Keith could feel his knees shaking slightly. He blamed it on the fact that he was still weak from being sick instead of fear that he might be facing his last days on earth.

"Keith, please, he'll hurt you." Beth begged drawing Keith's attention away from Greg making him slow to react to the punch that Greg threw.

Better me than you was Keith's last thought before he belatedly attempted to duck the incoming fist. It made contact with his left eye and the pain was immediate. The impact was solid and he would have gone down completely if not for the car that stopped him.

He reached up from his partially prone position to touch the spot that felt hot and swollen already. Man, Greg's punch packed a wallop.

"Well, at least you're no longer hitting girls." Came out of Keith's mouth before he could stop it. It was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. As Keith straightened up, Greg came charging at him. Greg's shoulder made contact with Keith's chest and they were both propelled back until they ran into a parked truck. Keith's left side and shoulder took the brunt of the impact. He felt something give and heard the rain of glass as it fell, but he had no time to dwell on the pain that erupted.

"Greg! Stop!" Keith could hear Beth screaming. He glanced up to see her approaching and while he tried to draw breath back into his lungs and tell her to stay back, he watched Greg throw her off of him like a rag doll. She went down hard, but sprang back up.

Keith had no time to worry about her as Greg turned quickly back to him. He threw another punch that Keith ducked. When Greg's fist made solid contact with the truck frame, he howled in pain and Keith used the few precious seconds to try to get away.

He made it only a few steps when Greg's left hand reached out and pulled Keith's sore left shoulder spinning Keith back to face the now even angrier football player. He was cradling his right hand against his chest and Keith was grateful that he wouldn't be punching him with the punishing blows of his strong hand when Greg threw an equally punishing punch with his balled up left fist.

"Help! Oh, god, please. Someone help us!" Beth was screaming for the other kids a short distance away at the taco stand. The noisy crowd took a while to notice the fight taking place a short distance away, but Beth's continued screams finally brought everyone running.

By this time, Keith was feeling like the piñata at a child's party. Greg had hit him so hard that he'd gone to the ground and now Greg was blindly kicking at Keith as Keith tried to roll away. Greg got in several solid kicks to Keith's stomach and ribs before three of Greg's own buddies pulled him off.

"Greg! Have you lost your mind?" His best friend was yelling at him to break the fog that seemed to have taken over. "You're going to kill him."

"Let me go!" Greg ranted while struggling to break the hold of four guys who were as big or bigger than him.

"Keith? Oh my god, Keith. Are you alright?" Beth bent over Keith and noticed him struggling to catch his breath. She looked back at Greg and screamed. "Are you happy? You've beat up a guy who's a lot smaller than you. I bet it makes you feel like a big man, doesn't it?"

Greg seemed to have a switch that could flip quickly and right now it changed from crazed fanatic to apologetic boyfriend in a heartbeat. "Beth, please. How can you say that? I didn't mean to hurt him. He just kept egging me on. I'm sorry."

"Egging you on? Are you serious? He did nothing – NOTHING!" Beth was crying in her fear for Keith. She turned her back on Greg and talked quietly to Keith. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

Greg's switch flipped back to angry in the blink of an eye; more likely it was the concern that Beth showed Keith that turned him back into a raving lunatic. Thankfully his friends hadn't let go completely or Greg might have done more damage. As it was, this time they dragged him away kicking and screaming at Beth and Keith. Threats and epithets turned the air blue before his friends threw him in one of their cars and drove away.

Keith was still struggling to draw breath and realized it hurt to do so. Oh, man, his parents were going to kill him.

"Keith, can you get up? We need to get you to the hospital." Beth couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

Gordy and Skizzy finally came out of the their stupor as they'd watched the scene unfold before them.

"Keith, talk to us man." Skizzy said as he knelt down beside Beth.

"If you slap me, I'll break your arm." Keith tried joking to lighten the mood. His attempt at a smile caused his split lip to begin bleeding again and instead turned the smile into a wince. Every part of him seemed to hurt.

"Ha! Just like you Partridge, fake it to make a good impression on the girls." Gordy joked back ecstatic that his friend was in good enough shape to joke.

xoxo

"I've got it." Dan said as he detoured to the ringing phone. He was glad to be home for the weekend with his family. He had been gone for most of this week too and with Keith having been sick over the weekend, he hadn't had a chance to talk to him as he and Shirley had discussed. He'd planned a day away for the two of them on Saturday under the auspices of taking Keith's car for a spin. It was ready to be test driven and he planned to make it a good long one. A long one that would require long bouts of conversation between his son and himself.

"Hello." Dan said into the phone. "Slow down….How bad?......We'll be right there."

Dan hung up the phone and tried to keep the worry from his face. Shirley had gotten up and walked over to him while he'd been on the phone as if sensing something was wrong. He whispered to her. "Shirley, do you think Mrs. Monahan would mind coming over for a few hours?"

"What happened? It's Keith isn't it?" Shirley whispered back with a sick feeling coming over her. She hadn't overheard any of the other side of Dan's phone conversation, but she could just feel that something was wrong.

Dan had thought that he'd hidden his fear and worry pretty well, but realized he must not have. Then again, it might be that woman's intuition that his wife repeatedly warned him about. "Yes, he's at the emergency room."

When he realized Shirley was about to pepper him with questions, he continued quickly, "Shirley, not now. Let's just get Mrs. Monahan over here and then we can talk on the way." Dan's eyes moved to Laurie and Danny who were still up watching a movie that they had begged to be allowed to watch.

"I'll call her." Shirley picked up the receiver that was still warm from Dan's hand and dialed quickly as her mind swirled with possibilities. She clamped down firmly on her fear and forced her voice to stay steady.

In under 5 minutes, they were headed toward the hospital.

xoxo

They had yet to be let in to see him. Dan was pacing the room and Shirley was sitting quietly in a chair biting her lip in worry.

Gordy and Skizzy had greeted them when they came in, assured them that Keith didn't have any life threatening injuries and then sat quietly in a corner waiting to hear news themselves. They were pretty sure they hadn't lied to Keith's parents, but the longer it took for the doctor to come out and talk to them, the more they worried that they might have been wrong.

A police officer came through the doors first and walked over to Dan, shaking his hand. "Mr. Partridge? I'm Officer Mulroney. I just got done talking with Beth Morgan about what happened tonight, but I will need to speak to your son later. Would you like to be present while I do that?"

"Absolutely. But, Officer, can you tell us what happened? We just got a call from Keith's friends telling us he was here. We have no idea why or how badly he's hurt." Dan pulled his wife to his side as she came to stand beside him and hear what had happened.

"Well, as far as I can tell so far, Keith tried to break up a fight between Beth Morgan and her boyfriend Greg Nolan. Greg is a good 6 inches taller than Keith and he's a football player. Good enough to play college ball. Well, before this all happened at least. I've already called into the station and someone will be going to pick Greg up and arrest him for assault and battery. All I know so far is that Greg was using Keith as a punching bag before his friends stopped him and took him away. Beth Morgan and Keith's friends brought Keith here." Officer Mulroney motioned to Skizzy and Gordy. "More than that I don't know. I have yet to talk to Keith myself."

"Officer, how if Beth Morgan?" Shirley asked, now more sure than ever that Beth was the girl Keith had been talking about when he'd asked Dan about girls in abusive relationships.

"She's got a few bruises herself, but she's going to be just fine. It took a while to talk her into calling her parents. They should be here soon." Officer Mulroney looked up and watched a concerned couple walk through the door. "If I'm not mistaken, I'd guess that the Morgans have arrived."

"Dan, Shirley, how's Beth? And, Keith, of course?" Mrs. Morgan quickly walked over and figured they were the best source of information as they'd gotten to the hospital before them.

"Actually, we haven't seen either of them yet. But, from what we've heard so far, they're both going to be fine." Shirley answered.

"What happened?" Mrs. Morgan blinked back her tears of worry.

"Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, I'm Officer Mulroney. I can take you back to your daughter. I think it might be best if she explained things to you. She's more shaken up than hurt. Why don't you come with me." The officer took them away to see Beth.

Dan and Shirley watched them go; envious that they were already being allowed to see their child while Keith's doctor had yet to let them know how he was doing.

"Oh, Dan, what could be taking so long?" Shirley asked and gripped his hand even harder.

"I'm not sure. Let me go check." Dan guided Shirley back down to a chair and went in search of someone to help them.

He came back a few minutes later and told Shirley that he'd gotten permission for them to go back and see Keith. Shirley immediately jumped up and they headed through the emergency room doors.

They were taken down a hallway and then asked to wait a moment while the nurse checked to make sure the doctor was ready for them to enter. She came back in less than a minute and waved them into the curtained area where a still figure lay on the gurney. He looked so small and wounded was Shirley's first thought before her son's head turned and he graced them with a slight but groggy smile. The smile was lopsided as the swelling on his face had already started to take while the bruising would hold off for awhile.

"Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling?" Dan asked as he walked with Shirley to the bed. He could feel her begin to shake as they got closer.

"Right now I'm not feeling much of anything." Keith admitted and then added. "I'm really sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry about?" Shirley asked with tears shining in her eyes.

"I'm sorry I got beat up." Keith said and then his eyes drifted shut. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"It's alright, honey. It wasn't your fault." Shirley reassured her son who very likely never heard her last comments.

"Mr. and Mrs. Partridge?" As the worried parents looked up and nodded, the doctor motioned them back outside the curtain. "We gave him some morphine for the pain and he'll likely sleep through the night. Why don't we take a short walk and I'll tell you how he's doing."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

They found a vacant exam room and the doctor motioned them to take a seat in the chairs against the wall. He remained standing and waited for them to give him their full attention.

"Mr. & Mrs. Partridge, your son is very lucky." At their surprised looks, he continued. "Oh, I don't mean he was lucky that he got beat up, I mean that he was lucky that none of his injuries is life threatening. His attacker got in several very strong punches and kicks before he was pulled off. Your son has sustained two broken ribs, a laceration to the back of his left shoulder and scalp as well as bruising throughout his torso; not to mention the facial bruising and abrasions. All that being said, everything will heal relatively quickly and he'll be as good as new, probably by Christmas."

"He's really going to be alright?" Shirley needed confirmation.

"He's going to be fine. None of the kicks to his midsection caused any internal bleeding and his broken ribs, though very painful, didn't cause any additional injuries. The laceration on his shoulder had pieces of glass that we removed and he shouldn't have much of a scar to show for it." The doctor assured her.

"How long will he need to stay?" Dan asked while clasping Shirley's hand.

"We'll keep him overnight for observation, but we don't suspect that he has a concussion. According to your son's own account of the incident, he never lost consciousness and none of the kicks, which would have had more force behind them, were directed at his head." The doctor glanced at his watch and continued. "All in all, your son is a very lucky young man."

"Lucky?" Shirley laughed bitterly.

"Well, actually, it could have been much worse. His attacker was much larger and stronger and, from everything I've heard, a bit crazed. Oftentimes that leads to injuries of a much more serious nature than your son received." The doctor smiled as he remembered his first few minutes with his new patient. "Besides that, your son has a great sense of humor and a strong constitution. He's going to need both while his body heals."

"That's our Keith." Dan said proudly. "Doctor, can we stay with him tonight?"

"You can, though I'm not sure it will pay. Like I told you before, he'll sleep through the night." The doctor reminded them.

"It doesn't matter. We just need to be near him." Shirley confirmed what Dan had already decided; there was no way they were leaving his side again until the person who had done this to him was behind bars.

xoxo

Keith slept through the night and sleepily blinked his eyes open to find his parents sitting in hard chairs beside his bed asleep and propped against each other to remain upright. He shifted slightly to relieve the stiffness in his muscles and couldn't stop the groan of pain that escaped when his ribs protested the movement. Both of his parents were awake in seconds.

"Keith?" Shirley said before she even really realized that it was Keith who had woken her.

She glanced over to the bed to find her son's face a study in pain and fighting to catch his breath.

"Don't fight it son. Just relax and take short breaths." Dan instructed as he put his hand on Keith's arm. Shirley was already brushing his hair back and gently kissing the side of his head offering whatever comfort she could.

Keith heard what his dad had said and found that he could finally draw breath without feeling like his side was going to cave in.

"Better?" Dan asked as he watched the worst of the pain leave his son's quickly bruising face. His left eye was almost swollen shut and the right side of his jaw was swollen as if he was a squirrel hiding nuts for the winter.

"Yeah." Keith whispered a little afraid that if he spoke any louder, he'd hurt himself. "What time is it?"

Dan glanced at his watch and said, "It's just after 7:00. Should I ring for the nurse? Do you need a painkiller?"

"That's probably a good idea." Keith readily agreed. "Mom, you can stop kissing me. I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Sorry. I can remember when my kisses used to make the pain go away." Shirley smiled at him.

"You couldn't kiss me enough right now to make that happen. Sorry, nothing against your kisses." Keith tried to smile, but didn't quite pull it off.

"So morphine has taken the place of my kisses, hmmm?" She joked back.

"Not always." Keith reassured her. "Why does my side hurt so bad?"

"You do remember what happened last night, don't you?" Dan was concerned that Keith might have sustained a head injury after all.

"Of course I do. Greg Nolan tried using me as his personal punching bag after he tried doing to same thing to Beth. I couldn't let him hit her. You know that, right?" Keith looked at his parent through his long lashes hopeful that they would understand why he'd put himself through this.

"Of course we do. We're not blaming you for this at all. In fact, we're proud of you." Shirley told him quickly.

"Proud of me? Ha, that's a laugh. I never even got a punch in." Keith was disappointed at his showing.

"I'm sure there are reasons for that, Keith. Don't worry about it." Dan tried to add his reassurance to Shirley's.

The nurse entered just as Keith was about to release another groan of pain. Oh, thank god, his painkillers were here. He watched the nurse administer the precious liquid into his IV and could almost feel the pain begin to leave his body shortly afterward.

"Mr. & Mrs. Partridge, the police are here to talk to your son. Keith, do you think you can do that?" The nurse asked. "The doctor said you could talk to them as soon as you felt up to it."

"Yeah, sure. I'm fine." Keith uttered the lie through the haze of his drug dulled pain.

The nurse shared a smile with Dan and Shirley and then left the room. Shortly after her departure, a detective from the police department entered. "Hello Keith, feeling a little better this morning?"

"Sure." Keith was mindful that his parents were listening and had no desire to tell them that he felt like he'd been hit by a Mack truck.

"Good enough to tell me what happened?" The detective pulled a chair over and pulled out a notebook.

Keith nodded slightly and then relayed the events of the night before.

"Thank you very much, young man. We'll be in touch." The detective got up to leave and Dan followed him out of the room.

"What's going to happen to the jerk that did this to my son?" Dan asked.

"We're going to recommend that the DA charge him with assault and battery. If I have my choice, they'll charge him as an adult and put him away for a long time. He's got anger management issues. This apparently isn't the first time he's hit his girlfriend either. She wouldn't have likely pressed charges this time either, but the beating he put on your son has finally seemed to clear her vision as to what kind of a man this guy is." The detective conveyed.

"I'm glad to hear it. My son never actually came out and told me, but I suspect that he was aware of what this girl was going through before last night." Dan agreed.

"Look Mr. Partridge. I'll be honest with you because I can see your son is a good kid and that comes directly from the parents. The DA is close friends with Greg Nolan's daddy. He's a big campaign contributor. I can recommend all I want, but it will be the DA's decision as to what happens to the punk. Don't be surprised if he gets off with just a slap on the wrist." The detective said quietly. He didn't want to lose his job, but he thought Mr. Partridge deserved to hear the truth about what might happen.

"You're kidding. That's just wrong, in so many ways." Dan could feel his anger rising.

"Don't get all worked up about it just yet. Maybe I'm wrong and the DA will do the right thing here. I'm just trying to warn you. Keep a close eye on your son. If Greg doesn't get put away, he'll likely hold a grudge." The detective glanced up and down the hallway apparently nervous about being overheard.

"What can we do if that happens?" Dan asked.

"If it does happen, I suggest a restraining order. One for your son and one for Beth Morgan too. You may want to talk to her parents about it; sooner rather than later." The detective put out his hand, shook Dan's hand and headed away with his cynical vision of the world intact. He hoped he was wrong, but it was likely that he wasn't and Greg Nolan would remain a free man even though he deserved prison.

xoxo

Dan had gone home to check on the kids and Laurie had begged to be able to go back to the hospital with him. Danny had too, but he was too young to get up to the room, so had stayed home. Right now, Laurie was sitting in the room reading a book for school and her parents were in the cafeteria eating some lunch. Keith was sleeping off the latest injection of pain killers. The doctor had decided to keep him one more day as the ribs were proving very painful for Keith.

Laurie had gasped in shock at first seeing Keith, but when he'd woken up, she'd instead teased him about how Molly was going to leave him for someone better looking. Her comments had made Keith laugh which he instantly regretted; and so did Laurie. She'd apologized profusely and Keith had had to beg her to stop apologizing. After the first awkward exchange was over, Laurie's motherly instincts kicked in and she'd kept him entertained with stories from school and their siblings. It had at least made time pass for Keith in something a little faster than the slow crawl he'd been experiencing up until now. He was grateful she'd come.

Laurie glanced up when she heard the door open and was surprised to see Beth in the doorway instead of her parents.

"Hi, Laurie. He's asleep, hmmm?" Beth said quietly.

Laurie got up and walked over to Beth so as not to disturb Keith. "Yeah, every time they give him another injection of pain killers he's out like a light."

"Well, in that case, I guess I'll come back some other time." Beth was just about to leave when Keith was finally able to identify what had disturbed his sleep.

"Don't go." Keith said while shifting painfully on the bed.

"Oh, you're awake." Beth stated the obvious. "Do you mind if I talk to him alone?"

Laurie nodded her ascent and left the room. She refused to go far, though, and sat down on a set of chairs that were just outside Keith's room.

"How are you?" When Beth assumed he was going to gloss things over she quickly added, "Really."

Keith paused before answering. If she wanted the truth, he'd give it to her. "Well, I hurt all over and I can't remember ever being so miserable."

"Well, at least you were honest with me." Beth smiled as she moved closer to his bed. "Oh, wow, your eye really looks like it hurts."

"Not nearly as much as the ribs." Keith admitted.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault." Beth felt like she'd been saying that a lot lately.

"No, Beth, it's not. It's Greg's fault. You're a victim in this as much as I am." Keith told her hoping she'd actually hear him.

"Yeah, that's what my parents have been telling me. Repeatedly, since last night." Beth said quietly. "I just wish I'd told them sooner. They've been pretty good about this whole thing."

"You thought they wouldn't be?" Keith asked surprised.

"Well, I really thought that the reason Greg did what he did was because of what I did. I blamed myself for everything. If he got mad, it was because of something I said or did. And, really, it usually was." Beth told him her reasons, though after a long talk with her mother, she was starting to see how silly her reasons really were. "My mom's been telling me that my thinking was all wrong. I'm starting to see where she's coming from. Yes, my words and actions caused Greg's reactions, but his reactions were extreme to say the least. It took seeing what he did to you last night to open my eyes. I'm so sorry."

"Beth, this isn't your fault. It never was and never will be." Keith pointed out again.

"Maybe if you say it enough times, someday I might actually believe you. You're here because you tried to protect me from someone who I never should have been with. If I had wised up sooner, this could have all been avoided." Beth had a point.

"Maybe. But then again, if you'd tried to break up with Greg he probably wouldn't have let you. Last night was probably inevitable. I just got in the way." Keith reasoned. "A case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Or, the right place at the right time to save me. I owe you. Big time." Beth had grabbed his hand was absently playing with his fingers.

"No you don't. What're friends for?" Keith watched their hands as she continued to run her fingers around his. He was surprised when he felt a tear fall on his hand. He quickly looked up to see her close her eyes tightly trying to stem the flow. "Beth, are you alright?"

Keith struggled to sit up, but the sharp pain in his side caused him to fall back with a gasp of pain. "Oh, please! Don't try to move. I can't seem to stop the tears from coming. They sneak up on me; almost constantly lately."

"Beth…." Keith would have continued, but she laid a finger gently across his lips.

"No, please let me talk. I came by to thank you. Thank you for being so wonderful. For being such a good friend even though I treated you like crap. For being the best friend I've ever probably had even without realizing it. None of my other friends even suspected that I was scared and miserable, but you saw right through me. You kept trying even though I pushed you away." Beth felt more tears slide down her cheeks but ignored them. She needed to get this last part out.

"But even with all of that, I can't continue to hurt you like I have been. Oh, I know I didn't actually inflict this pain on you, but I still feel responsible. You're too good for me. I don't deserve your friendship." Keith tried to interrupt, but she put her finger to his lips once again stilling his words.

He knew this was the big kiss off, but he couldn't seem to stop it. She wouldn't let him.

"Keith, you are the kindest, most gentle, most loving person I know. You're also the most talented person I know. You're going to be a big star someday; I can feel it. You're going to break girl's hearts all over the state; all over the country. Maybe even the world. And I don't deserve you." Beth hadn't been able to look at him, but now forced herself to look deeply into his eyes. She needed to make sure he believed her.

"Be good to yourself, Keith. Be good to your girlfriend. From what I know of her, she's right for you. She's better for you than I ever could be. She won't hurt you or get you hurt. Goodbye Keith." Beth leaned down and gently kissed him on the lips. In her head she finished with 'I'll miss you', but would not let herself say it out loud.

She didn't deserve him. She'd already caused him too much pain. Pain that should have been hers not his.

Keith didn't try to stop her. What could he have said? She wouldn't have listened to him.

He felt pain again and idly wondered when his next pain killers were scheduled. What he didn't realize was that it wasn't physical pain he was feeling, but his heart was breaking.

xoxo

Keith came home on Sunday afternoon. It took him a couple of weeks to become pain free from his injuries, but by Christmas, he was physically back to normal.

Dan and Shirley worried about him almost constantly though. Greg had gotten off with just a slap on the wrist like the police detective had suspected. Money talked. Apparently louder than concerned parents. Dan seriously considered a run at one of the local counsel seats that would come up for election in two years. He was mad and someone needed to do something.

The next few months were tense both at school and at home. Beth and Keith had both taken out a restraining order on Greg and so far, he'd honored it; very likely because his father had threatened to disown him if he received another black mark against the family name.

Through it all, Keith was quiet and withdrawn. When they asked him about it he just said he was fine.

He continued to see Molly, but by late March, she found out that her father was being transferred again. At the end of the school year, she was moving to Texas. She was devastated and so was Keith. She'd been one of the few bright spots in his life. No matter how depressed he was or how low he felt, she was always able to make him laugh. Beth had been right; Molly was the right person for him. Unfortunately for both of them, she was leaving.

April rolled around, and Keith's fifteenth birthday was a day away. Shirley had planned a surprise party for him and Dan had finagled getting home in time for the party though he'd told Keith he wouldn't be there. He'd hoped his attendance would be a happy surprise.

It worked wonderfully and Keith was not only happily surprised, but the day seemed to bring him out of his funk. He laughed and completely enjoyed the party that included his family, Molly, Gordy, Skizzy and his grandparents.

He had finished opening his presents and had loved every one of them. Especially the home made ones from his siblings. They'd put a lot of effort into them and his enthusiasm for them made Danny, Chris and Tracy all the more excited. Laurie had given him new strings for his guitar. Keith knew how expensive they were and realized she must have saved up for months just to buy them.

"Thanks Laurie. I really needed these." Keith grinned at her and she grinned back. It looked like her brother was finally back to normal. She practically glowed with happiness.

"I almost forgot. There's one more gift." Dan hadn't really forgotten, but this was a special gift. He'd been meaning to save it for his sixteenth birthday, but with everything that had happened this year he'd decided not to wait. He handed over the small box to Keith who looked at him with curiosity.

His parents had already gotten him a larger amplifier for his electric guitar. He hadn't been expecting anything else. He tore open the paper and opened the small jewelry box to find a gold ring sitting there.

"It's the Partridge family crest of arms from the old English homelands. Do you like it?" Dan asked hopefully. To this point Keith hadn't worn much jewelry. Dan hadn't been sure if he'd like it or not. But Dan had been wearing the ring on his pinky that his father had given him on his sixteenth birthday since the day he'd received it. He could only hope that Keith loved his just as much.

"Dad, it's great!" Keith pulled out the ring and immediately put it on his right pinky. The same finger that he knew his dad wore his. It was a little big.

"We'll go and get it sized tomorrow. How does that sound?" Dan said as he noticed the ring slide around.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Keith agreed and shared a happy smile with his father.

Later that night, after the party had broken up and it was just Dan and Shirley finishing the clean up in the kitchen, Shirley looked at her husband with her love shining in her eyes. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"If it's half as much as I love you, then it's more than I deserve." Dan hugged her to him.

"I think Keith might just be getting back to normal. He looked so happy tonight." Shirley said as she snuggled herself under his chin.

"Yeah, he did, didn't he? How'd we get so lucky?" Dan asked.

"Lucky? How so?" Shirley pushed back to look at him.

"Well, we have a big beautiful family. I have the most beautiful wife in the world who loves me more than I deserve. How can it get any better?" Dan grinned.

"I'd hate to think this is as good as it gets. We have more coming you know. Growing old together. Watching our kids get married. Spoiling our grandchildren. Should I go on?" Shirley teased having noticed his shiver of distaste at the thought of growing old.

"I like the sound of most of that." Dan laughed as he watched his wife's eyes sparkle with their shared merriment.

xoxo

Keith and Dan spent the next day together getting Keith's new ring sized and then just going for a drive. They took Keith's Chevy out for the first time since they'd declared it ready to drive so many months before. Life had just interfered with them getting the chance to do what they'd planned so long ago.

Dan even took Keith to a deserted stretch of road and let him get behind the wheel.

"Seriously?" Keith had said when his dad had motioned him to take the driver's seat.

"Yeah, I know you don't have your learners permit yet, but if you know enough to fix this car up, I guess maybe you deserve the chance to drive it for just a short while on its inaugural run." Dan grinned.

He had no trouble holding onto that smile as he watched Keith struggle with the clutch and finally master it after a much shorter time than Dan thought possible. The kid was a natural. If he didn't make it in music, he'd have a job driving truck if he wanted.

Keith was in seventh heaven. The smile rarely left his face all day. Dan and Keith talked about nothing and everything.

Keith even opened up about how he felt about Molly's leaving in just over a month. He was sad but realistic. He knew that they were too young to know if this was the 'one' or not, so he figured they'd find each other again later in life if it was meant to be.

They talked about Greg and his escaping the ramifications of having used Keith as a punching bag. About how it had been anger that had made Keith so quiet for months afterward, not just sadness. He'd been angry that Greg had gotten away with not only beating Keith up, but abusing Beth during the time they'd been together. He'd told his dad that it was finding out that Greg had not only lost Beth by his actions, but his football scholarship to Stanford, that had finally made him realize that, though Greg hadn't gone to jail for his actions, he had lost something that meant a lot to him.

He also told Dan about his feelings for Beth and how he'd finally reconciled himself to the fact that they just weren't meant to be together. Dan wasn't quite sure if Keith really meant the words he was speaking, but it made him feel better to think that his son was smart enough to realize that he needed to let this one go.

Keith's philosophical take on the latest events in his life caused Dan to realize that Keith was growing up a lot faster than he'd have thought possible.

At the end of the day when Dan had finally pointed the car home, they'd talked about how much Keith loved music. About how much he loved to write music but that he hated to think about writing the lyrics. Every time he'd tried, he'd hated the results. He'd shown maturity in so many ways, yet the lyric writing in his music still wasn't where Keith would have liked it to be. It was the one thing he'd been truly sad about all day.

Dan came to realize that day that it wouldn't be very long before his son became not only a prolific music writer, but a great song writer too. It was fate in Dan's opinion. His son had limitless talent that would one day soon break through. He didn't know what it was or would be, but something would happen and Keith would have a breakthrough. He could just feel it.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The summer of '69 flew by. Keith spent the days and nights with his friends and several girlfriends. None lasted very long. They all paled when he compared them to Molly. He wouldn't allow himself to compare them to Beth. But, he kept looking and telling himself that he was enjoying the heck out of it.

He avoided Beth at all costs. Seeing her was just torture and he lucked out when she decided to take a summer job as a camp counselor up at Big Sur.

He, Gordy and Skizzy went on several camping trips. Sometimes alone, sometimes with Skizzy's older brother. The trips with Skizzy's brother always resulted in some form of drinking. Keith had tried just about every kind of alcohol by the time the summer had passed. He knew his parents would disapprove, but he figured what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Besides, everyone else his age was doing the same thing. The reasoning soothed his guilt just enough to allow him to continue to drink on the few occasions that he was given. It wasn't easy for fifteen year olds to get a hold of alcoholic beverages, so the episodes were few and far between.

It was a carefree, happy summer; especially given the fact that Greg had left town to attend school in the east. The tension that was normally just under the surface had been allowed to drain away.

xoxo

Now that Tracy had started kindergarten, Shirley had finally taken the part-time job at the bank. She and Dan had just started talking about him cutting back on his travel now that Shirley was bringing in some extra money. Keith was less than three years away from college and Laurie only four. Dan was holding out on switching to a lower paying job with two kids approaching college so quickly. Thankfully they had a little break before Danny would be heading off to college. It was their dream that they would all finish four years of college, though Keith's music dreams might put an end to that.

Danny and Chris were in the same elementary school and Keith and Laurie were once again in the same high school. Keith was starting his sophomore year and Laurie was a freshman. Keith had been able to ease Laurie's worries about entering a new school and had shown her around so she wouldn't get lost at the much larger school. It was what big brothers were supposed to do.

Laurie and Brenda were still good friends, but with the bigger class size, their circle grew and the two of them seemed to grow apart if just a little. Laurie didn't spend every lunch period or after school activity with her as she had in the past. Laurie was very popular.

Brenda mourned the loss of their close friendship, mostly because she still harbored a longing for Keith. She'd hid her continued crush from Laurie and everyone thought she was over him. She wasn't. Oh, she'd tried. She'd also dated other guys, but never seriously as her parents weren't about to let her get serious about any boy. They'd have been stunned to know that she hadn't fought their rules because she was already serious about one very specific guy who continued to ignore her.

Keith, for his part, was glad that Laurie had more friends. He'd always felt uncomfortable around Brenda especially considering his feelings for her sister. With Laurie spreading her wings, Brenda seemed to come over less and less. He was relieved. He didn't have to avoid her as much.

While Brenda mooned over Keith, Keith watched Beth as she threw herself into her senior year. She refused to let her history with Greg ruin what was supposed to be the happiest, most carefree time of her life. Her time away over the summer had been a great time of healing. She intended to live this last year of high school to the fullest. She dated copiously. She was still beautiful and popular; that hadn't changed. And, now that Greg was out of the picture, guys who'd avoided her in the past were asking her out. She never lacked for male companionship.

Keith was happy for her. Really he was. And, if he said it often enough, he might some day believe it. He avoided her just in case he wasn't able to hide his true feelings. It was for the best, for both of them.

xoxo

"Dad, you're for sure going to be home next week, right?" Keith asked his dad for the tenth time that day as they changed the oil on the family station wagon.

"Yes, Keith." Dan said patiently. He knew why Keith was excited. He'd promised to take him to get his learners permit. He was allowed to get it 6 months before his 16th birthday and Keith had calculated it to the day. He wanted to be able to legally drive, with a parent in the car, of course.

"You're getting off work early on Monday to take me, right?" Keith asked for confirmation of their plans yet again.

"I'll be home by 3:00. We can go as soon as you get home from school." Dan had to hide his smile.

"Good. Did I tell you how much I appreciate it?" Keith thanked his dad for the tenth time too.

"Yes, son, you have. A little excited about driving, hmmm?" Dan teased.

Keith smiled in return and let that one go by. He knew he'd been a pest about getting his learners permit, but aside from his music, it was the next most important thing to him. Being able to pick up a girl for a date would be just about the most awesome thing Keith could imagine at this point. Right now, they either had to double with someone who had a license or walk. Walking was not conducive to make-out sessions at Muldoon's Point.

"Ok, Keith, I think it's done draining. Let's get this baby filled with oil and get cleaned up. Your mother is making her world famous meatloaf and I'm starving." Dan motioned Keith to slide back under the car.

"My stomach's been growling for the last half hour." Keith agreed with a grin.

"I know. You'd think we never feed you." Dan joked.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy." Keith slid back out from under the car and stood up.

"That you are." Dan ruffled his hair. He was almost as tall as his father, but he was likely done growing.

"Hey, don't mess with the hair." Keith ducked his father's hand and shook his hair back into place. He couldn't run his fingers through it; they were full of motor oil.

"You could use a haircut, you know." Dan knew the answer he'd get. He really didn't have anything against long hair. He knew it went along with Keith's dreams of a future in rock music.

"No scissors will come near me." Keith repeated the usual answer. "My hair is finally getting to a length I like."

"My mistake. I thought I had three sons and two daughters; not the other way around." Dan hid his smile.

"Just because you can't grow any more than you already have." Keith threw back. It wasn't true, but it was his usual comeback in their frequent teasing.

They continued to throw barbs back and forth all the way into the kitchen to clean up. Shirley listened to their banter and couldn't help but smile. They were so close.

xoxo

It was Friday night. Dan was supposed to be getting home soon. Shirley sat in the living room reading to her three youngest. Keith and Laurie had gone to the football game and the bonfire that was to follow. She had kept the youngest ones up longer than normal waiting for Dan to get home so that he could help tuck them in. However, tonight he was running later than normal. As Tracy's eyes closed for the last time after many long slow blinks as she fought to stay awake for her daddy, Shirley finally gave up and decided to put the kids to bed. Dan would have to wake them to kiss them goodnight.

She carried Tracy as a sleepy Chris and Danny preceded her up the stairs. She watched the boys walk into their room before walking into the girl's room and placing Tracy under the covers. She kissed her forehead lightly and whispered, "Goodnight, sweetheart."

She turned off the light and walked to the boy's room. They had found a burst of energy just as they'd entered the room and were now having a boisterous pillow fight. Danny was winning, of course. He always did. Not only because of his superior size and strength due to being older, but he always planned his attacks much more wisely than his younger brother. She and Dan often laughed about his analytical brain. They weren't quite sure where he got it from. Neither of them was overly studious. Dan used to joke that Shirley had cheated on him with the local stock broker.

He'd always told her that the red hair must come from the stock broker too. It was their own private joke.

Shirley took a few minutes to break the two boys apart and shoo them to their separate beds. "Sleep. Now." She instructed while tucking each of them in and kissing them on the cheek. They were both so perfect in every way.

"Oh, mom!" Followed her out of the room. She knew that she'd likely have to go back to their room to break up another pillow fight. She hadn't let the previous one go on long enough. They hadn't had time to declare a winner though Danny always won.

She walked slowly to her bedroom and looked out over the street waiting for the pillow fight to start back up. She frowned as she still could not see any approaching headlights. Where was Dan? He should have been home at least thirty minutes ago. He must have run into traffic. Or his plane had been delayed. But, why hadn't he called? He usually tried to do that if he was running late.

She heard a major crash from the boy's room that pulled her eyes away from the street. Oops, she'd let this latest fight go on too long and they'd knocked a lamp off a nightstand. She walked quickly to the boy's room to find them standing their looking surprised at the fallen object.

"He did it." They both said and pointed at each other.

"Oh, I see. Don't move. Either of you. There's broken glass and you're both barefoot." She walked through the glass and picked up first Chris and then Danny to put them in their beds. She went to get the broom to clean up the mess and was happy to see it had only been the bulb that had broken. She replaced it and turned off the light.

"Mom?" Danny said quietly. "I'm really sorry."

"I know you are honey. It was an accident. You're both ok, that's all that matters. No more pillow fights tonight, hmmm?" Shirley said as she kissed him again.

"I promise. How about you, Chris?" Danny smiled at his mom very thankful that she hadn't punished them.

"Me too. Night Mom. Love you." Chris said as he was quickly losing the battle to stay awake. Shirley quickly kissed him and told him she loved him too.

She wandered back to the living room and turned on the TV just to keep her company. Keith and Laurie wouldn't be home for at least an hour yet, maybe longer. She would just have to sit here quietly and worry about her husband by herself.

xoxo

Keith, Gordy and Skizzy had snuck off behind the bleachers and were furtively drinking the six pack of beer Skizzy had ripped off from his brother's stash.

"Drink fast. We don't wanna get caught." Skizzy reminded his buddies.

"If you didn't want to get caught, why'd you bring it?" Gordy said between swallows.

"You don't want yours?" Skizzy made to pull the can out of Gordy's hand.

"I didn't say that." Gordy reminded him and chugged the last of it.

"Shut up and drink." Keith reminded him.

"You did bring gum, didn't you?" Gordy ever the worry wart asked.

"Of course. We're on school property. I have no desire to be expelled." Skizzy burped loudly having just chugged the last of his beer.

"Here. Get rid of the evidence." Keith handed him his empty can and watched Skizzy crumple the bag down around the now empty cans. Skizzy buried the bag in the overflowing garbage can. It wouldn't be emptied until the morning and they'd be long gone.

"Gum, quick. Here comes Laurie." Keith put his hand out for the piece of gum Skizzy was just pulling out.

"Hey, guys. What are you up to?" Laurie walked up with Brenda and a couple other friends.

"Nothing. Why?" Keith answered while he quickly chewed the gum to get the flavor out.

"Doesn't sound like it, brother dear." Laurie raised a brow at his too quick answer.

"We were just heading back. Come on, let's go." Keith grabbed her arm and spun her back toward the light of the still bright bonfire.

"It's almost 10:00. I'm supposed to be home by then. Aren't you going to walk me home?" Laurie reminded him of his promise to walk her home.

"Oh, right. Yeah, sure. Gotta go guys. See you tomorrow." Keith waved to his friends and headed quickly away from the crowd of kids.

"Were you drinking?" Laurie asked as soon as they were off school property and she knew no one was around.

"What makes you say that?" Keith evaded the question.

"Well, you were hiding behind the bleachers, you were acting all nervous when we walked up and the gum." Laurie pointed out the obvious indicators.

"That means nothing." Keith pointed out.

"Fine. I'll let it go this time." Laurie decided he wasn't going to tell her anything anyway. "So, do you think Wayne Jessup likes me?"

"What?" Keith didn't follow her quick change of topic.

"Wayne Jessup. He's in your class and he was watching me all night. Do you think he likes me?" Laurie tried again.

"I don't know." Keith started to walk faster. He did not want to have this conversation.

"Oh, come on Keith. You guys talk about everything. Has he ever mentioned me?" Laurie was hopeful. He was really cute.

"Laurie, Wayne is not a friend of mine. Besides that, I don't talk about you with my friends. Ever." Keith thought that would end the conversation.

"Why ever not?" Laurie asked.

"Because, all my friends know I'd kill 'em if they ever tried dating you." Keith told her.

"Keith Partridge, what are you talking about? You are threatening boys to keep them away from me?" Laurie pulled his arm to stop him from walking.

"I don't have to threaten 'em. It's just understood. Now let it go." Keith started walking again.

"Oh, well, I guess that's alright. You just said Wayne wasn't a friend of yours. So, if he wants to, he can ask me out." Laurie remembered Keith's earlier comments.

"I might just kill him anyway." Keith mumbled but kept walking.

"Did you say something?" Laurie thought she'd heard him say something.

"Me?" Keith looked at her with mock sincerity.

"You better butt out of my love life." Laurie threatened.

"What love life? Besides, I have no interest in who you see or don't see. Do whatever you want." Keith made a mental note to himself to have a little conversation with one Wayne Jessup. He'd soon know that Keith's little sister had a very protective older brother.

He'd heard bad things about Wayne. About how he tried moving really fast with all the girls he dated. No way he was getting his grimy mitts on his little sister. Not without the threat of losing said limb if he tried anything funny.

xoxo

Shirley was surprised from her concentration on the book she'd picked up to help take her mind off her worry about Dan. She'd had to read the same page several times and was just about to give up when the doorbell rang.

Who could that be at this time of night? She glanced at the clock and realized that Keith and Laurie should be home soon, but the front door wasn't locked. Why hadn't they just walked right in?

She got up and walked to the door swinging it open without worry about who might be on the other side. After all this was sleepy, safe little San Pueblo not the big city.

"Oh, hello Officer, can I help you?" Shirley said the words before the fact that a police officer was standing on her doorstep could sink in. Once that fact settled into her brain, her thoughts flew to Keith and Laurie first. "Oh, no. Are they alright? Oh, please tell me they're alright?"

"Ma'am, who are you talking about?" The officer asked.

"My children – Keith and Laurie. They're alright, aren't they?" Shirley asked putting her hand up to her throat, her breathing and heart rate speeding up as her worry skyrocketed.

"Yes, ma'am. At least I think so. I came to speak to you about Dan Partridge. You are Shirley Partridge, aren't you?" The officer wanted to be sure he had the right house.

"Yes, yes, I am." Shirley's world was starting a slow spin. Oh God, what had happened?

"Mrs. Partridge, I'm sorry to say that your husband was in a car accident tonight." The officer waited for her to absorb his words.

"He's alright, isn't he? Is he in the hospital?" Shirley asked breathlessly.

"I'm sorry ma'am. He didn't make it." The officer said quietly but firmly. He moved quickly to put his arm around the woman whose legs decided to give out at those words. The officer glanced over his shoulder at his partner saying, "Let's get her inside and sitting down."

Shirley clawed her way out of the fog that was clouding her brain. He'd just told her that her husband had been killed, hadn't he? Her laughing, loving husband was dead? Why couldn't she feel anything? Where was the pain? The hysteria? She was numb.

"How?.....What?" Shirley stuttered.

"He was driving on the highway when a suspected drunk driver hit him. The other driver was going the wrong way on the highway. He never had a chance to avoid him." The officer patted her hand as he relayed this information. It was obvious that she was in shock.

"My children." Shirley stumbled over her words. Oh, God, Keith and Laurie would be coming home any minute.

What would she tell them?

How could she tell them?

They'd be devastated.

She had to tell them.

The shaking was the first thing she noticed. It started deep inside and worked its way out in ever widening circles. The next thing she noticed was this odd sound. It sounded like the whimpering of a wounded animal. It must be in great pain. She wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach as the pain finally ripped through her. At the same time, she realized that the odd sounds were coming from her; from a place deep down inside. She could feel them building and growing. She clamped a hand over her mouth to stop their escape and the first tears began to slide down her cheeks.

"Ma'am, is there anyone we can call?" The officer knew he'd waited too long to ask the question. She was finally through the shock phase and now her grief had taken firm hold.

Shirley never heard his words. She was screaming inside. 'Dan, don't leave me. I need you. I love you! How can I go on without you? Oh, God, please, don't take him from me. I can't go on alone. I can't do this all alone.'

Shirley finally lost the battle to hold her grief inside. The gut wrenching sobs tore at her throat and she collapsed against the officer who was seated next to her. He silently held her and rocked her as the grief won out over her valiant efforts to hold it at bay.

He looked up at his partner who looked on helplessly. His eyes were drawn to the still open front door where two teenagers stood with looks of horror on their faces. He caught his partner's eyes and nodded in their direction. He would have to deal with the kids.

"Kids, I'm Officer Rogers." The officer got no further.

"It's my dad, isn't it?" Keith asked in a monotone. Somehow he just knew that nothing else would cause his mother to lose such control. "He's dead, isn't he?"

"Keith?" Laurie looked at Keith with a pleading in her eyes. It couldn't be true. What he'd just said couldn't be true.

"I'm sorry, kids. You're right. It is your father. He was killed in a car accident." The officer tried to be as matter of fact as possible. They seemed so calm at the moment.

"How?" Keith asked as Laurie grabbed his arm so tightly that he knew he'd have bruises.

"A drunk driver hit him." The officer explained trying to keep his voice as soothing as possible.

"Did he suffer?" Keith's voice had never changed since he'd started talking, not once.

"No, he didn't." The officer had no idea if that was true or not, but he knew the lie wouldn't hurt. It could only help.

"Laurie, go to mom, she needs you." Keith instructed calmly as Laurie began to cry softly beside him.

"Keith?" Laurie was confused by his cold behavior.

"Look at her Laurie. She needs you." Keith pushed her gently away from him.

"Keith, what are you going to do?" Laurie wanted Keith to come with her. Seeing her mother in such bad shape scared her.

"I'm going to call Grandma and Grandpa." Keith walked in a fog to the phone and picked it up. The officer watched him closely. He'd never quite seen this kind of a reaction to bad news before. It was as if the kid had no feelings. They were used to delayed reactions, but not this cold calculated reaction. Not from someone so young. They could be angry or sad even mad, but not cold.

"Grandpa, it's Keith. Can you and Grandma come right away?.....Dad was killed in a car accident…..Mom needs you…..I'm fine…..No, really, I'm fine…..Don't worry about me, it's mom. She's taking it really hard…..yes, that's her you hear…..Hurry…..Please." Keith hung up the phone and slowly turned around to face his weeping mother and sister. He knew he should go to them, but his feet were rooted to the spot.

His father had been killed by a drunk driver and what had he been doing that night but drinking beer with his buddies. The thought made the beer in his stomach churn. Within seconds he knew that he wouldn't be able to hold it in. He ran outside and threw-up in the bushes.

He was on his knees with the contents of his stomach splashing onto the ground. It kept coming and he could do nothing to stop it. The purging continued until his stomach was empty but his stomach continued to contract. He dry-heaved for several minutes afterward.

He finally straightened up, drawing in deep cleansing breaths. He felt something wet on his cheeks but he couldn't remember crying. He reached up to wipe it away. He wouldn't allow himself to cry. He had to be strong for his mom. She needed him. He had to be strong for Laurie. She would need him too.

He was too young to be the man of the family. But, he had to be. Now.

"Son, are you alright?" The officer asked gently from behind him.

"I'm not your son." Keith said coldly. There was only one person who had the right to call him that now and she was inside.

He stood up and walked back into the house. His mom needed him.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Keith walked back into the house to find Laurie sitting quietly next to their mother with a box of tissue. They were holding each other and crying quietly.

Keith was glad to see that his mother was no longer crying those soul-deep, gut wrenching sobs that he'd heard earlier. They'd torn at his heart.

He took a deep breath and walked closer, steeling himself for her grief to hit him full force. "Mom?" He said quietly.

"Oh, Keith, come here." She pulled him down to her and wrapped him in a tight hug. He returned it tentatively.

He looked over her shoulder to see Laurie looking lost and alone just inches away. He held out his hand and she grabbed it like it was a life raft and she was drowning. He smiled sadly at her and refused to release the tears that kept threatening to let loose.

The officers stood near the door waiting to see if there was anything else they could do. They would wait as long as needed and just tried to stay out of the way of the grieving family.

Keith noticed them and decided that he didn't need their constant reminder of what had happened, so he gently pushed back from his mother and asked, "Mom, do you need anything else from the officers?"

She blinked as if coming up from a deep sleep. "No, I don't suppose so. Not tonight."

Keith patted her hand and transferred it to Laurie's waiting grasp. He stood up and walked toward the waiting men. "Is there anything else you need to tell us?"

"No, s…" The officer quickly stopped himself from calling the young man in front of him 'son'. He remembered his earlier reaction and didn't exactly blame him. He'd just lost his father. "No. We have no more information. Maybe you could have your Grandfather call us when he gets into town."

Keith held in the sigh of relief at the mention of Grandpa. Once he got here, Keith could let him shoulder some of the 'man of the house' duties. "I'll do that." Keith said simply and then motioned them to the door. He closed it firmly behind them and locked it for the night.

He rested his head against the door for a precious second while he firmly grasped his resolve once more to go back to his mother.

"Mom, Grandma and Grandpa are on their way here. They'll be here early tomorrow morning. Why don't you get some sleep?" Keith suggested.

Shirley realized that her crying jag had left her exhausted, but she needed to make sure her children were alright. "I have to check on Danny, Chris and Tracy. I have to tell them…."

"No, Mom, that can wait until tomorrow. They don't need to be told tonight. Laurie and I will check on them. We'll make sure they're alright." Keith assured her and looked to Laurie for support.

Laurie had valiantly stopped her tears and was taking her cues from Keith. "Yes, Mom, I'll take care of the kids. You go on upstairs and get some sleep."

"Thank you, honey." Shirley kissed her daughter and did the same when she shakily walked past Keith. "I don't know what I would have done without the two of you tonight."

Keith just nodded. He didn't trust his voice.

Shirley walked up the stairs and entered her and Dan's bedroom. No, wait, it was just her bedroom now. The tears began to fall again in earnest. Would they ever stop? Or, would everything they'd shared continue to bring her such pain?

Downstairs, Laurie got up to stand next to Keith as they both watched their mother walk up the stairs slowly. She looked liked she'd aged 40 years in just that night. Her shoulders were stooped and her gate was shaky and uneven. It scared them both.

"Keith?" Laurie whispered.

"It'll be alright. She'll be alright." Keith said quickly not wanting Laurie to verbalize any of his own fears. He grabbed her and gave her a fierce hug. She began to sob into his shoulder.

After Keith had finally calmed Laurie enough to get her to go upstairs, he finished locking up the house and turning off the lights. He walked up the stairs slowly and checked on each of his siblings. By the time he got to Laurie's room, she'd cried herself to sleep.

He walked past his parent's room and heard weeping. At first, he wanted to just ignore it and go to bed. He'd never felt so tired in his life, but he couldn't ignore his mother's grief. It pulled him like the strings of a puppet.

He gently knocked on the door and then entered without permission. Something he'd never have done before, but he was sure his mother would never have heard his knock.

He found her crumbled on the floor with one of his father's shirts held to her face. She was sobbing uncontrollably, but muffling it with the shirt.

Keith paused. He couldn't do this. He just couldn't.

As he turned to leave, Shirley noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye. She pulled herself together quickly and said, "No, Keith, wait."

She saw Keith's head bow low and then come back up before he turned around. It looked as if he was steeling himself for a confrontation. She'd scared him. She could tell.

She resolved at that moment to never let her son see her grief again. Up to this point, he'd been her strength. It was her turn to return the favor.

"Mom, it's late. I just stopped to make sure you were alright." Keith said as he inched toward the door.

"Could you stay? For just a minute?" Shirley pulled herself from the floor and sat on the side of the bed. Dan's side of the bed – she couldn't stop the thought from forming. She swallowed hard and patted the spot on the mattress next to her as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"I suppose so." Keith said as he reluctantly sat down beside her. He refused to look at her. He didn't want to talk about it. Not yet. It was too raw.

"Keith…" Shirley started and then faltered. She needed him to look at her to gauge his reactions. She'd not taken the time to really look at him. He'd been so calm. It was unnatural.

Keith just sat their stiffly; waiting for her to continue.

"Keith, please look at me." Shirley followed her words by gently putting her hand on his chin and turning his face toward her. He'd closed his eyes in the process. She waited patiently for him to open them.

When he finally did, she blinked in surprise. They were blank; not hurt. The look frightened her. "Keith, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Are you alright?" Keith's voice held no inflection.

"I will be. I just need a little time to comprehend it all. It doesn't seem real, you know?" She hoped to get him talking.

Keith surprised her by smiling. It was a sardonic smile. One that said, 'don't fool yourself. It's real'.

"Keith, please, talk to me. What are you feeling right now?" Shirley asked.

"Feeling?" Keith asked in surprise. He had avoided thinking about how he was feeling. He'd forced himself to think only of his mom and brothers and sisters. It allowed him to keep it separate from reality. "I'm trying not to." He finally admitted.

"Keith, it's alright to cry." Shirley told him thinking that maybe he thought crying was unmanly and he wanted so badly to be grown-up.

"You know, it's not like I've ever thought about this happening, but I would have thought that crying would be something that would just happen. But, I can't." Keith spoke with a little bit of surprise in his voice. "I just can't. I mean, you cried and you're one of the strongest people I know."

"It's alright, sweetheart. There's no right or wrong way to react to this." Shirley told him.

"Mom, is something wrong with me?" Keith asked in a quiet voice.

"No, honey, you're completely normal. You're numb right now, aren't you?" At Keith's shrug of acknowledgment, Shirley continued, "I was at first too. I didn't react right away either. It took a while for it to sink in."

"But why don't I feel anything now? Enough time has gone by." Keith looked away in shame. Maybe he hadn't loved his father enough.

"Oh, honey." Shirley pulled him into a hug. She felt his resistance to being held, but didn't let go. After a few minutes, he finally relaxed into her arms.

"Didn't I love him enough?" The words were said so quietly she almost didn't hear them and then almost wished she hadn't. They made her want to cry all over again.

She pushed him away slightly so that she could look into his eyes when she said this. She had to be sure he heard her and believed her.

"Keith, you loved your father and he loved you. More than anything in the whole world; you and the rest of your brothers and sisters. It's not lack of love that has you numb. It's your minds way of keeping the grief and sadness from taking over. It must know you're not ready to face it yet. But never doubt for one second that you didn't love your father enough. He knew it. He was so proud of you in so many ways. Your love was so obvious to anyone who saw the two of you together. You are so much like your father." That last comment was so true that it made Shirley almost sad to realize that watching her son grow into a man who so closely resembled her husband would be both comforting and heartbreaking. It would be a daily reminder of what she had lost and a daily gift. The gift that would allow her to see the love of her life embodied in the son they had created together.

"Mom, I'm so sorry." Keith had watched the emotions chase through his mother's sad eyes.

"For what?" Shirley asked in surprise.

Keith had blurted the words before thinking about them. He'd been feeling guilty about drinking. It was as if his actions, his underage drinking, had caused his father to be killed by a drunk driver. He knew that was silly. That one had nothing to do with the other, but the words had slipped out without his being able to stop them.

"For not being home when the police arrived." Keith covered quickly.

"Keith, you have been my rock tonight. Don't be sorry for anything you've done. We'll get through this. Together." Shirley hugged him close again and this time, Keith immediately hugged her back. "I promise."

"I love you, Mom." Keith said as he pulled away and stood up.

"I love you too." Shirley smiled up at him with tears shining brightly in her eyes. Tears she refused to let fall.

She realized that her falling apart earlier had really scared her son. He wasn't allowing himself to grieve because he felt he had to be strong for her as long as she was grieving. Well, she'd be strong for him; for all of her kids. She loved them so much and the rest of them would have to be told in the morning that their father was never coming back.

As she watched Keith walk through the door and close it quietly behind him, she allowed one loan tear to trickle its way down her cheek. She resolutely wiped it away and bit her lip. She could do this.

No, she couldn't. She had to. There was no one else. Her partner in life was gone. She was alone. A single mother with five children. The thought frightened her more than anything else ever had.

She stood up and walked over to the window, glancing down at the quiet street. She stood there until the sun came up. She glanced at the alarm clock and realized that the kids would be getting up soon. She moved to the bathroom and took a shower. She'd need to wash away as much of the night before as possible.

xoxo

Across the hall, Keith was staring out his own window. He hadn't bothered to go to bed that night either. He'd looked at his bed and realized that he'd never be able to sleep, so he'd just looked out into the dark backyard and let the memories chase across his mind. After he'd watched the sun rise, he heard the shower turn on in his parent's bathroom. No wait, it was his mom's bathroom now.

The feeling of loss finally hit him; so hard, he doubled over and fell to his knees. He bit his lip to stifle the scream that started low in his gut and tried to work its way up. He fought it and finally won the battle to keep it bottled up inside. He was breathing heavily; drawing in big gasps of air.

Oh, God, it hurts. Why? How could this have happened? Was he being punished for something he'd done?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car door being slammed. He paused a moment to hear another door slamming. Shortly after this, he realized that the shower in his Mom's room was no longer running. How long had he been on the floor?

He heard the front doorbell ring and his mom's gentle footsteps heading down the hallway.

He forced himself to stand up and gather new clothes. He headed for the bathroom to take a shower and join his mom and grandparents downstairs. He wanted to help all he could.

xoxo

Shirley had been held in the comforting arms of her parents for a few minutes when she heard the shower turn on upstairs. She figured it was either Keith or Laurie; none of the younger kids took morning showers.

She pulled back and smiled sadly at her parents. "Mom, would you mind starting some coffee?"

"Not at all dear, would you like me to start breakfast too?" Amanda asked while she squeezed her daughter's hand.

"Actually, I was planning on coming with you. Shall we do that together?" Shirley turned toward the kitchen. "Coming dad?"

"Right behind you." Fred said while pulling his eyes from the stairs and wondering which one of his grandchildren was already up. It was very early.

He'd put his money on Keith. The boy had been way too composed when he'd called him last night. He was worried about him. Someone that young should not have to deal with this kind of loss. His heart was breaking for not only his daughter who he could see was devastated, but his grandchildren. Those beautiful kids who were the apple of his eye. The kids who kept him feeling so young.

He watched his wife and daughter walk toward the kitchen arm-in-arm. He thanked the good Lord that his daughter had always been such an independent spirit. Though he realized that right now she was probably floundering in her grief and thoughts of a life that no longer included her beloved husband, he also knew that ultimately, she'd be alright. She was strong. Stronger than anyone he'd ever known outside of his own beloved wife, Amanda. Strong women ran in the family, thank God.

Amanda's strength is what often caused the arguments they had. He wanted to coddle and protect and she wanted to grow old together as partners. He loved her for it even though it was a bone of contention oftentimes. Right now, he thanked his lucky stars that she was so strong. It gave Shirley a shot at brining up five kids on her own. It wouldn't be easy and that was an understatement. But, if anyone had a shot at it, it was his beautiful, stubborn, strong-willed, brave daughter.

xoxo

Keith came out of the bathroom dressed for the day. He almost ran over a worried looking Laurie.

"Oh, you surprised me." Keith said as he grabbed her arms to keep her from falling backwards at their unexpected meeting.

"Sorry. Is it real?" Laurie almost hoped she'd dreamed the whole thing.

"Dad?" Keith asked quietly and at Laurie's nod he nodded back. "It's real. Grandma and Grandpa have already arrived. They're downstairs with mom. Better get ready; they'll need us when they tell Danny, Chris and Tracy."

"I don't know if I can." Laurie bit her lip as fresh tears sprang to her eyes.

"You can and you will." Keith said without sympathy. He knew that if he treated her with kid gloves she'd fall into a well of self-pity.

"Oh, Keith, how can you be so heartless? Have you even cried?" Laurie was hurt by his words and struck back in self-defense.

Keith's head snapped back as if she'd slapped him. He was about to throw back sharp words of his own when Danny came sleepily into the hallway.

"What's going on?" He asked curiously. He could tell his brother and sister were mad at each other but had no idea why.

"Nothing. Go get dressed, Grandma and Grandpa are here." Keith continued to glare at Laurie and then finally turned his back on her and walked to his room. Danny and Laurie watched him go.

"Hey, Laurie…." Danny started asking her what was going on, but she disappeared into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. He went to wake Chris and find out what was going on.

xoxo

Shirley had decided to feed her children before telling them the bad news. The littlest ones never realized that the older ones barely touched their food. Shirley noticed, but could do nothing to change it. Her parents kept the littlest ones chatting while Shirley, Keith and Laurie played with their food in silence.

Shirley nervously turned phrases over in her mind of how she was going to tell her youngest ones that their Daddy wasn't coming home again. Ever.

"Mommy?" Tracy put her little hand on her mother's that rested on the table.

"Yes, honey." Shirley threw her a bright smile her eyes shining with unshed tears. Tears that would not be falling in front of her kids if she had any say in the matter.

"What's wrong Mommy? You look so sad." Tracy asked innocently.

Shirley looked up to notice that everyone at the table was watching her. She realized that the conversation must have lagged quite some time ago and that she must not have noticed when someone asked her a question. She'd been lost in her own little world.

"Well, actually, there is something I need to tell you. All of you." She looked at Chris and Danny making sure that all three of them were paying attention. "Something bad happened last night. Your daddy…."

She had to pause and swallow hard. Her mother, sitting on her left, reached over and grabbed her hand for support. Shirley smiled in thanks.

"Well, your daddy, was hurt last night. So bad in fact, that he was taken by the angels to heaven. He won't be coming home anymore." As the sad truth began to sink in, Shirley quickly continued, "He's going to miss you all so much. He loved you, loves you so much. And, if he could have, he'd still be here with us. He just can't. God needed another angel."

"But, mommy, I need daddy. Why couldn't God pick another angel?" Tracy asked innocently not truly understanding that her daddy was never coming home.

Shirley was flummoxed by her daughter's question and couldn't come up with an answer right away.

"Because, your daddy was such a good daddy, that God needed him for the little kids who don't have good daddies." Grandpa said gently.

At Tracy's nod of acceptance, Shirley smiled her thanks.

"That makes no sense." Danny frowned and pointed out. "We don't have a daddy now, so how could taking our daddy away help?"

"It's because we have the best Mom in the world." Keith said quietly. "God figured we didn't need two great parents. We're strong enough to get through with only one."

Shirley drew in her breath in surprise at Keith's comments. Oh, she knew he loved her and that he thought she was a good parent. Her surprise came in the fact that he knew just what to say to Danny to get him to stop asking questions. She watched as Danny frowned some more and considered Keith's word. His eyes turned to his mom and he nodded his head while saying, "Yeah, I guess you must be right."

Shortly after breakfast, the phone started to ring. The news of Dan's passing had finally made the rounds of the small community. Support was offered by all who either called or stopped by.

Shirley greeted each visitor herself; Keith and Laurie stayed close all day as moral support. Fred and Amanda took turns answering the phone and accepting the condolences as they rolled in.

The police came back later in the day to discuss more details with the adults. Shirley had forced Keith and Laurie to go outside and watch the kids play. She would not allow them to hear the morbid details of their father's death. As it was, Shirley wasn't sure she wanted to hear them. She would have been surprised to know that both had gone only as far as the kitchen and then stayed to listen to the conversation.

They found out that the drunk driver had survived, but that he was currently in intensive care on life support. His injuries were extensive and it would be a miracle if he survived. Shirley wasn't sure if she wished he would just die or if she wanted him to survive to face prosecution.

"It's just a formality, but we need someone to come and identify the body." The officer said uncomfortably.

"I'll go." Grandpa offered quickly and noted Shirley's shoulders sag in relief. She didn't want to think about how she would have handled that.

xoxo

Keith and Laurie had watched their grandfather drive away with the officers. They'd both played with the thought of asking to go along. They wanted to see their father one last time but they both realized that that would never have been allowed to happen. So they'd finally gone out to the back yard like they'd been told.

Keith sat quietly and Laurie could tell he was thinking deeply. "Alright, what's up?" Laurie finally asked.

"Nothing." Keith answered without thinking. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Keith left her sitting there and walked around the side of the house. He was just about to strike out walking, when Gordy and Skizzy were driven up by Skizzy's brother.

"Hey, Partridge. We heard what happened." Skizzy said as he hung out the side window. "We're really sorry, man."

"Sure." Keith said absently.

"Hey, where are you headed?" Skizzy asked.

Keith suddenly realized that he wouldn't have to walk to his destination if Skizzy's brother would drive him. "Hey, can you take me to the hospital?"

"Sure, but I thought…." Skizzy caught the hard look from his friend and just opened the door for Keith to slide into the back seat.

When they got to the hospital, Keith told his friends to just go home. He'd walk back later himself. They looked at him funny, but didn't question him. They did, however, decide to go back to the Partridges and tell them where they'd dropped Keith off.

As he walked into the reception area, he realized that he had no idea what the man's name was that had killed his father. All he knew was that he was in intensive care. How many people could be in intensive care, right?

He looked at the hospital directory and then walked nonchalantly into the gift shop as the person sitting at the front desk had been giving him funny looks. He furtively watched the lady for several minutes and then got lucky; she left her post for a few precious minutes. Keith grabbed the opportunity and headed to the bank of elevators. ICU was on the fourth floor. He got on the first elevator and headed up. When he stepped off, he walked confidently toward the doors marked 'ICU'. He figured the more he looked like he was supposed to be there, the less likely he was to get stopped for questions.

He pushed through the door and paused for just a moment trying to get his bearings, there were at least six rooms surrounding the central nurse's station. The station was empty. Keith figured his luck was holding. He decided to start on his left.

The first room was empty. The second had a small child. The third room was an elderly woman. The fourth room had a man who was on a ventilator. His face was badly bruised like he'd been in a car accident. Bingo!

Keith glanced around the room and saw that it was empty. He glanced back over his shoulder to see a nurse just exiting the sixth room so he quickly slid into the room with the man who must have killed his father.

He walked tentatively over to the bed and then just stood there. Anger had driven him to the room, but now that he was here, he wasn't sure why he'd come.

Had he just wanted to see the person who had caused his family so much grief? Or, did he want to inflict some pain onto this man too? Keith could feel his hate and anger building.

He stood there seething and watching the man's chest rise and fall with each artificially generated breath. His heart was still beating on its own though, while his own father's wasn't. It wasn't fair. This man had killed his father yet he lived. Keith glanced at the cord that trailed from the ventilator. He followed it to the plug in the wall. Could he do it? Could he take the life of the man who had altered his family's future so drastically?


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Shirley walked to the door for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. She opened it and pasted an artificial smile on her face.

"Hi, Mrs. Partridge." Skizzy said and grabbed the arm of a very reluctant Gordy who looked like he might bolt at any second.

"Oh, hi boys. You're probably here to see Keith." She was almost relieved that it wasn't someone to see her.

"No. We're not. We know where he is, though." Skizzy said mysteriously.

"Yes, he's in the back yard." Shirley nodded at his strange comment.

"No, he isn't." Skizzy answered.

"He isn't?" Shirley's tiredness left her quickly as every muscle in her body tensed for his answer. She could sense that something was very wrong.

"No. He isn't." Skizzy was struggling with ratting out his friend.

Shirley wanted to scream at him to just tell her. Instead she calmly asked, "Just where might he be?"

"He's…." Skizzy paused again only to have Gordy elbow him into saying, "at the hospital. Do you have any idea why he'd want to go there?"

Shirley's eyes had widened at his words. There was only one reason why Keith might want to go there. The man who had killed Dan was there. Shirley froze for just a second and then turned quickly to grab her purse and keys from the table where she had left them what felt like years ago but had only been yesterday afternoon.

"Thank you for telling me." Shirley said as she pushed past the boys and ran to her car. She yelled out the window as she was backing out of the driveway. "Boys, please tell my mother that I went to the hospital."

xoxo

Shirley pulled into the first available space she could find and ran to the hospital doors. She rushed up to the woman at the front desk and asked for the floor for ICU. The woman sensing the panic in the woman in front of her answered without asking whether or not she should be there.

Shirley rushed to the elevators and waited impatiently for the car to arrive and then take her to the fourth floor. She pushed quickly through the ICU doors and then paused. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful. Maybe Keith had changed his mind. Maybe he'd never come up to the ICU. Maybe he was walking back home right now.

"May I help you?" The nurse coming out of one of the rooms to Shirley's left asked.

Shirley was just about to ask her if she'd seen Keith, when she saw him come out of the room directly across from where she stood. He hadn't seen her yet and had sagged tiredly against the wall from the room he'd just exited. His head fell forward and his hands came up to massage his temples. He looked exhausted.

"Keith?" Shirley whispered and then when she realized he couldn't have heard her, she said his name more loudly.

Keith's head shot up quickly. His mother read the look on his face as guilt. But, guilt for what?

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Keith asked as he pushed away from the wall and started to walk toward her.

"I'm here because you're here. Why are you here?" Shirley met him halfway.

"I just had to…." Keith trailed off.

"Had to what?" Shirley asked gently as she put her hand to the side of Keith's face.

"I had to see him. The man who killed dad." Keith whispered but couldn't meet her eyes.

"Keith, what…." Shirley wasn't sure what to ask him.

"Nothing." He said simply.

"Oh, thank God." Shirley pulled him into a tight hug. "You had me so worried."

"I'm sorry." He said as he held her close.

The nurse watched closely. She'd seen the young man in the room of her newest patient earlier and assumed he was a relative. The people downstairs were supposed to monitor everyone who came up to ICU. Now, she realized that the young man was not who she'd thought he was. She moved quickly to check on her patient.

"Come on, let's go home." Shirley had pulled back and kissed him on the cheek.

"Don't you want to see him?" Keith was surprised that she could be this close and not want to see him, confront him even though he was unconscious.

"No. It doesn't matter." Shirley had earlier dealt with her frustration of her husband's killer being alive and throughout the day had somehow made her peace with it. Confronting him couldn't bring Dan back. If he died, she'd be alright with that. If he lived, well she'd deal with that when and if it happened. But now, now she had to deal with raising her kids on her own. She had no time to worry about someone else.

Keith nodded after searching her eyes for a few moments and finally reading her peace with the situation. He didn't necessarily agree with it but he understood it.

"We'll talk on the way home, hmmm?" Shirley said as she put her arm around him and they headed away.

xoxo

"I couldn't do it, you know." Keith said quietly from the opposite side of the front seat.

Shirley had driven away from the hospital and pulled into the parking lot of the local park. She didn't want to be distracted from the conversation by driving, yet she didn't want to be disturbed by someone at home.

"Do what, honey?" Shirley asked just as quietly.

"I wanted to." Keith still couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Wanted to what?" Shirley tried again.

"I could feel the hate flowing through me. He killed him." Keith could feel the tears that he'd refused to shed last night beginning to form. He fought them with everything he had. He would not break down in front of the only person who had lost more than he had.

"Keith, it's alright." Shirley tried to see his face, but he was looking down and faced toward the front of the car. All she could see was his profile.

"No, it's not." Keith faltered, but then finally continued. "He took away my dad. Somehow it makes me feel like I've failed him….failed Dad."

"Keith, no." Shirley's voice was gruff with emotion.

"He deserved to die and I wasn't man enough to do it." Keith's short bark of laughter was bitter.

Shirley slid across the front seat to get closer to her son. "Keith…." She started but he cut her off.

"No, Mom, you can't say I'm wrong about this. He killed him. He may not have set out to do it, but the end result is the same, isn't it?" Shirley knew Keith wasn't asking a question, so she remained silent and held her breath to see what he would say next. He needed to work this out.

"I hate him!" Keith whispered vehemently. "How are Danny, Chris and Tracy supposed to remember Dad? They're so young. They'll forget."

"We won't let them." Shirley tried to reassure him.

"Don't! Don't lie to me!" Keith shot her a look and Shirley had to stop herself from pulling back at the anger she saw in his eyes. "Laurie and I, we'll have our memories, but the younger ones…..they'll only remember what we tell them. It's not fair."

"I know Keith. I know." Shirley fought to keep her voice level. "Right now it all seems so impossible."

"It's not fair that his kids still have their dad." Keith's bitter laughter filled the car again. "I don't suppose you know that he's a dad himself. He has two little girls. They can't be more than six or seven. Danny's age and maybe Chris's."

"Keith, how do you know that?" Shirley asked.

"I was contemplating pulling the plug on the machine that kept him breathing. He doesn't deserve to breathe. Not when dad can't." Keith realized he'd gone off track and pulled himself back. "While I was looking at the plug, his hand twitched. It startled me and I looked at him again. He wasn't awake, but my eyes were caught by a picture sitting on the table next to his bed. It was him."

Keith's tears had started to silently slide down his cheeks, though he wasn't aware of them yet. He continued. "Even with all the bruising on his face, I could tell it was him by the hair. He was sitting on a chair and his wife was on the arm leaning into him. On each knee he held one of his daughters. God, they looked so happy."

Shirley bit her lip. She slid even closer to Keith so that she could touch him and give him comfort but she stayed silent letting him tell his story in his own time.

"They looked so in love. Just like you and dad do in all your pictures." Keith swallowed what he refused to believe was a sob. He would not cry for the man who had killed his father.

"He doesn't deserve to live. Why did he live and dad died?" Shirley wanted so badly to answer, but there was no answer to that question and Keith eventually continued; his thoughts disjointed. "But then I realized that two families would have been without their fathers, their husbands. It's not fair. How come we had to lose dad? But his family lost something too. What could they possibly have done to deserve this? What did we do to deserve this?"

Shirley leaned over to kiss the side of Keith's head. She had no answers to his questions. All she could offer was her comfort and support.

"Mom?" Keith glanced at his mother and wondered why her image wavered and he realized he was finally crying. When he realized it, it was as if that was the release he needed. The sobs quickly followed and he couldn't stop them.

Shirley gathered him close and rocked him as well as she could in the confined space. Her face was wet with tears, but she just squeezed her son harder.

After several minutes, Keith finally quieted.

"Mom, can you forgive me?" Keith asked quietly as he pulled away from her, embarrassed that he'd lost such control.

Shirley wasn't quite sure what he was asking forgiveness for, but she had no problems answering him. "Of course I can. You didn't do anything wrong."

Shirley was having some revelations of her own. Before now, she'd just thought of the man who'd killed Dan as a monster. She had to realize that he was a person just like everyone else. A person who'd made a very big mistake, but a human being none the less. A person who had ruined her family's lives but had also ruined his own family's lives.

"Mom, what happens now?" Keith blurted the question out because he couldn't picture a future without his dad.

"I'm not exactly sure I have the answer to that, Keith. I'm still trying to believe that everything that's happened is real; that it's not a dream – a nightmare that I'll wake up from. All I know is that I am so thankful that I have you and your brothers and sisters." Shirley tried to smile encouragingly at Keith. "With all that love, I know I'll survive. I'll get through this."

She figured her smile must have worked when Keith gave her a small smile in return. She'd have been sad to know that the only reason he smiled was because she looked hopeful and he hadn't wanted to dash that hope against the wall of darkness he felt in his soul.

He was still lost in a cold dark place, but if she could find a way out who was he to bring her down. He would deal with his feelings on his own. She had enough to worry about with Laurie, Danny, Chris and Tracy. Keith wouldn't let her know that he hadn't even begun to deal with his pain. He had dealt with the anger toward the man who had killed his father.

He had yet to deal with his loss. He had grieved the fact that he couldn't kill the man who had killed his father. What and where did that leave him?

xoxo

When they pulled into the driveway, Laurie was waiting for them. Keith walked past her without even looking at her. He headed to the garage rather than the house. He wasn't ready to face anyone else. He needed time to deal with his guilt at not stepping up as the new man of the family and not having been able to end his father's killer's life had felt like a failure.

"Mom?" Laurie had seen the look on Keith's face even though he hadn't looked directly at her. It scared her. He looked almost defeated.

"Come on inside, honey." Shirley said and put her arm around Laurie to pull her in that direction. She knew that if left to her own devices, Laurie would seek out her brother and try to help him through whatever was bothering him. It was what they did for each other. But, right now, Keith needed some time alone.

"But, Mom….." Laurie tried to argue.

"I'll explain everything. Come on, he needs to spend a little time by himself. He'll be alright." Shirley reassured her daughter with words that she wasn't even sure were truthful. Would Keith be able to work through this? Oh, please God, let him get past this.

While Shirley talked to Laurie and her parents, glossing over the worst of it while Laurie was present, Keith sat in the garage with his guitar in his lap. He had been so sure that music would help to soothe him. So far everything he'd played had left him feeling cold. He started to play the tune that had been running through his head for the last few months. The same tune that had so frustrated him when he'd tried to put lyrics to it. As he played, snippets of thoughts flitted through his brain. After replaying the song for the third or fourth time, he suddenly realized that the thoughts were forming into lyrics. He grabbed a pencil and some paper and scribbled them down before he forgot them. After an hour of playing with the words and changing them around, he thought he might have just written his first full song. It was a sad and melancholy song, but it fit his mood.

He was interrupted by his grandfather telling him that dinner was on the table. Keith told him he wasn't hungry and that they should go ahead without him. He was surprised when he didn't get an argument from his Grandpa. He just nodded quietly and left the garage.

Alone once again, Keith pulled his guitar back into his lap and decided to see how the words and music together would sound. He began the intro and then sang the new lyrics quietly.

_Why has the music stopped?_

_Where did all the happy people go?_

_I know they were there,_

_Songs everywhere,_

_Only a moment ago._

_I only blinked my eyes_

_And now the world that I used to know_

_Is changin' on me_

_Why can't it be?_

_Only a moment ago._

_Only a moment ago_

_It was spring and I was singin'_

_Only a moment ago _

_I could see where the road would lead_

_And what tomorrow was bringin'_

_Hey Mister Dream Come True_

_Why did you go and walk out the door?_

_It all went so fast _

_Why couldn't it last _

_only a moment more._

_Only a moment ago _

_it was spring and I was singin'_

_Only a moment ago _

_I could see where the road would lead_

_And what tomorrow was bringin'_

_Why has the music stopped?_

_Where did all the happy people go?_

_I know they were there, _

_Songs everywhere_

_Only a moment ago._

_Why has the music stopped?_

_(Song by Terry Cashman and Tommy West)_

During the song, he'd closed his eyes shutting out the world. Now, he opened them suddenly when he heard "That was beautiful."

"What are you doing here?" He knew it wasn't the kindest rejoinder, but he wasn't feeling especially kind.

"I heard about your father and I wanted to see how you were doing." Beth answered. She'd seen Keith's grandfather walk back into the house and had waited only moments before stepping into the familiar garage. She'd been about to say something when Keith had started to play. She'd been surprised when he'd started to sing. She knew it had to be an original song because she was positive she'd never heard it before. It was slow and thought provoking. She could feel the heartbreak in the delivery.

"Well, you've seen me, so you can go." Keith said cruelly. He didn't want her sympathy. If she didn't want anything to do with him in every day life, what right did she have to seek him out now?

"Wow, I guess I deserved that." Beth looked down and frowned. She'd guessed she might not get the most enthusiastic reception, but this hostility was a surprise. He was crazy about her wasn't he? Well, at least he had been. She guessed the phase had passed.

Keith just looked at her silently. Inside he was struggling with the desire to ask her to leave again and the equally strong desire to have her stay. He wasn't sure he would be able to hide his feelings much longer. They were too close to the surface at any given time. He concentrated on keeping his face blank.

"I just wanted you to know that if you need anything. I'm here for you." Beth tried again.

"Oh? And just what would I need from you?" Keith's voice was quiet.

"Oh, I don't know, a friend to talk to. You were there for me several times. I thought I might be able to return the favor. But, I can see that I was wrong." Beth couldn't hide her hurt and turned to leave.

"Wait. I'm sorry." Her sad look had finally caused Keith to let go of his anger. But, now that she'd paused, he didn't know what else to say.

They looked at each other for several minutes with Keith being the first to look away. She was still the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. He couldn't look at her and not want her.

"Keith." Beth decided to take the bull by the horns and walked over to Keith, sitting down beside him on the piano bench. "I meant what I said. I'm here for you."

Keith glanced back at her but said nothing before looking away once again.

"I won't tell you that I know how you're feeling, because that would be a lie. I just know that you have to be hurting and I thought maybe I could, oh I don't know, I guess maybe it was foolish of me to think I could bring you any comfort." Beth stumbled to a close and then sat there uncomfortably. Why had she come? She just knew that when her parents had told her that Mr. Partridge had been killed in a car accident, her first thought was that she had to see Keith. Now that she was here, she wasn't sure why. They hadn't talked in months. In fact, she'd purposely avoided him. She'd always guessed that she'd had feelings for him, but had always denied them. He was so much younger than her. Her sister thought she was in love with him. All the arguments for why she should have nothing to do with Keith were still there. They hadn't changed.

All she knew was that as soon as she'd heard, she'd borrowed her mom's car and headed over to see Keith. It had felt like the right thing to do until he'd rejected her. But, then he'd changed his mind and it had felt right again. Now, it was just awkward. She'd never known anyone who'd lost a parent before. What should she be saying? There had to be something that would make him feel better. But what?

"Beth, I'm not sure why you felt like you had to come here." Keith wasn't sure if he wanted to make her feel better about being there or not. He was finding it hard to concentrate on anything but his own turmoil. His own pain. "I'm fine." He finished lamely.

"Wow, you're really a bad liar." Beth joked half-heartedly but then regretted her words when Keith shot her a sad look. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

After another awkward silence, Beth decided retreat might be the best option. "Look, I'm sorry I came. It was a stupid idea."

Keith sighed loudly and finally really looked at her since she'd sat down next to him. "It wasn't a stupid idea. I'm just not ready."

"Not ready for what?" Beth asked as he seemed to leave something unsaid.

"I can't talk about it." Keith said simply.

"Oh, gosh, I wasn't asking you to do that. No, I can see where you wouldn't be." Beth put her hand on his arm that was still draped over his guitar.

"Then what do you want from me?" Keith couldn't stand her touching him so he got up and put his guitar away just to get away. Human touch brought his feelings too close to the surface. Ha – who was he kidding? Almost everything brought his feelings too close to the surface.

"I don't want anything from you. I was hoping….." Beth trailed off. Here she was again; trying to put words to an impulse that she'd been unable to deny. She'd felt compelled to be with Keith. She hadn't questioned it; just acted on it and now here she was trying to explain it when she didn't understand it herself.

"Beth, maybe you should just go." Keith suggested without turning around.

"Sure, Keith. Maybe that would be better." Beth said but didn't move. She felt like she was missing something.

She needed to see his face one more time before she left, so she went over to him and put her hand on his arm again hoping to make him turn and look at her. He'd thought she had left and when he'd felt her touch him, he'd spun toward her quickly. Too quickly. He hadn't been able to put a mask over his true feelings.

She gasped when she saw the pain reflected in his eyes. She saw it for only an instant and then he closed his eyes fighting to get his emotions back under control. Beth felt tears spring to her eyes as the pain she'd seen seemed to touch her deep in her soul and had tugged at her heart.

"Keith." She whispered before she leaned forward and settled her lips gently over his. Human contact was the only comfort she could think of to help soothe his hurt. She'd acted on instinct.

Keith's reaction surprised her at first; he didn't pull back like she'd expected him to. Instead he'd immediately put his hands on either side of her head holding her in place as he deepened the kiss.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

She laid there, her mind in a complete tailspin. She hadn't intended for this to happen. Was she sorry?

Keith's heavy breathing tickled her ear as he tried to regain his senses. She had to fight to squelch the urge to giggle. Half of the fights she'd had with Greg were because she'd refused to go 'all the way' with him and here she was; lying under a boy she wasn't even dating having just done the deed. See? She couldn't even bring herself to refer to it as what it was - they'd just had sex.

She was no longer a virgin. The fact could not be ignored.

She was most definitely NOT sorry. That fact was also becoming very evident to her as a secretive smile crossed her lips. She tightened her arms around Keith as she felt his breathing begin to return to normal. She knew that very soon he would likely pull away. She wasn't looking forward to that. Would he shut her out again?

She closed her eyes to try to hold onto the feeling of euphoria that was slowly leaving her.

'What have you done?' was the first thought that crossed Keith's mind once he could think again. He could feel her gorgeous, naked body beneath his and realized he'd have to move soon or they'd be doing the same thing all over again.

He hated to think about pulling back and seeing the accusations on her face. The anger. The hate. She'd hate him, right? She hadn't come here intending on….well doing what they'd done. She'd come to give him sympathy, not her body.

What a heel. He'd had sex for the first time in a dingy garage with his family just a few hundred feet away. Had anyone heard?

That thought brought his head up quickly. They needed to get dressed and quick. Who knew who might walk in on them. His plans to remove himself from the most compromising of positions left his mind as soon as he pulled back far enough to see Beth's face. It was radiant.

"Beth?" He said in surprise.

Her eyes flew open and her smile slipped slightly. She'd been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't realized he'd pushed up on his elbows.

"Keith." She said calmly and the smile returned fully to her face.

"Are you alright?" Keith asked still shocked that she wasn't spewing hate at him.

"Mmmmhmmmm….you?" Beth grinned. Why in the world had she been afraid of losing her virginity? It hadn't hurt all that much and she'd actually kind of enjoyed herself.

"I'm fine." Keith answered absently and then his family's close proximity tickled the edges of his mind again and he quickly suggested. "I think we should probably get dressed. My family…"

"Oh, right." Beth said glancing over to the still closed door guiltily. She looked back at Keith patiently. He was looking at her with an absent look on his face. "Umm, Keith?"

"What?" Keith said as he watched her lips form the words.

"You'll need to get off me in order for us to get up." Beth reminded him gently.

Keith blushed and quickly sat up looking for his pants. He tried dressing as quickly as possible while still sneaking glances at Beth as she began to cover all of that beautiful lightly tanned skin.

Once fully dressed, they stood there awkwardly looking at each other.

"Well, I better go." Beth finally said.

"Yeah, I better get inside." Keith said a little absently as he glanced at the pile of old blankets and tarps that had made up their recent trysting spot.

"I'll, ummm, see you later." Beth said as she waited for Keith to at least kiss her goodbye.

"Yeah, later." Keith said without moving.

Beth sighed and then decided once again to make the first move. Men, first they can't do anything, then they move so fast that you can't keep up. She pulled his head down for a soft and gentle kiss.

Like before, her initial contact opened the floodgates and they were soon kissing deeply. When Keith's hands started to wander like they had the last time, Beth quickly stepped back. Not again, at least not right now.

"Gotta go, remember?" She said breathlessly.

Keith just nodded and watched her walk out of the door.

He glanced back at the blankets and tarps and quickly moved over to move them. For some reason they looked too much like a bed and too much like someone had just made love on them.

He spent a few minutes erasing all evidence of their encounter and then looked back at the space a little sadly. With all the evidence gone, it almost seemed unreal. It had almost been like an out of body experience. He tried to relive the feelings, but they seemed a little vague.

When would he lose this feeling of detachment? Life was going by him at a much greater speed than he was able to keep up with. He felt like he was moving in slow motion.

Sleep – that's what he needed. He turned off the lights and headed into the house.

"Hi, Keith. You hungry?" His grandmother asked as soon as he walked in the door.

"Yeah, I guess I could eat now." Keith realized he was ravenous.

"How does a ham sandwich sound?" Grandma offered.

"Good." Keith said as he let his grandma guide him into one of the kitchen chairs.

"Well, have a seat and I'll have it whipped up in a jiffy. Milk and some potato salad?" She asked as she headed toward the refrigerator.

"Sure." Keith watched her begin preparing his dinner. She hadn't looked at him funny at all. She must not be able to tell just by looking at him. Good. That made him feel better about facing the rest of his family. No one would ever guess what he'd been doing in the garage a short time ago.

xoxo

Beth floated home. Oh, she knew she was driving, but it felt more like floating to her. She could not believe that she'd avoided sex with Greg for over a year and then just fell into bed with Keith at the first opportunity. Well, it wasn't actually a bed at all, was it? She'd had sex in a dirty, dingy garage yet she was euphoric. Why didn't it feel tawdry? Why didn't she feel guilty?

She smiled to herself when she said out loud, "Because, you goof, you didn't have sex with Keith. You made love."

She finally realized why it would have been different with Greg. Even though she and Keith had never once dated, she realized that her feelings ran deeper than they ever had with Greg. She realized that she likely was in love with Keith.

The thought brought her to her senses and caused her foot to jam down harder on the brake than she'd intended. Instead of stopping gently in the driveway at her house, she screeched to a halt and then just sat there staring at the garage door glaring in the headlights.

She was NOT in love with Keith Partridge.

She couldn't be. Her sister would kill her. He was too young for her.

She purposefully put the car in park, shut off the ignition and turned off the headlights. Then she sat in the dark while the tears began to slide quietly down her cheeks.

What had she done? On the heels of that thought, she realized that they hadn't used any type of protection. Some of her friends were sexually active and birth control was freely discussed. Here she was, almost eighteen, smart and popular. It wasn't like she hadn't had opportunities to have sex. She'd had plenty. So why did she decide to have sex with someone she'd not even dated and then did so without protection? Had she just called herself smart? Oh, who was she kidding? She was about as dumb as they came.

She couldn't let this happen again. Wouldn't let it happen again. The only way she knew how to make sure that it didn't happen was to avoid Keith. He would be hurt and confused, but it was for the best, right?

God, if you're listening, please don't let this one little mistake ruin my future; Keith's future. She threw the quick prayer at the sky and went into the house.

xoxo

Shirley was dressing for the funeral. She put on her favorite black dress and then realized that after today, she'd never ever wear it again. She thought about changing but it hit her that she would have no reason to wear it in the near future. She'd be working and taking care of her kids, not going out to dinner or out dancing. Those were things she'd done with Dan. Who needed a favorite black dress when you had no one to go out with?

She put on earrings and a necklace, slid into her shoes and declared herself ready to face the hordes of mourners. She watched her serene look begin to melt into a look of fear and devastation as she looked into her makeup mirror. She resolutely put back on her serene face and stepped away from the mirror.

She would be strong not only for herself, but for her kids. Her mother and father would do their best to keep Danny, Chris and Tracy occupied while their friends, acquaintances and more distant family paid their respects. Keith and Laurie would stand with her and greet them, one on either side of her. At first she had asked them to watch over their brothers and sister, but they'd both said they'd rather stay with her. She'd gone along with their wishes. It wasn't her place to tell them how to deal with their father's funeral. If they wanted to be beside her, then she would gladly accept their support.

It was a subdued group that left the house and headed toward the funeral home. They had more than an hour before anyone would start showing up. It would give the kids a chance to see their father one last time without the presence of others. Shirley had gone to the funeral home the night before with her father. It was why only Grandma had been in the house when Keith had come in from the garage.

It had allowed her a chance to say goodbye to her husband in private. She wanted to grant her children the same chance if they wanted it. None of them would be forced to view Dan in his casket, though Keith and Laurie would be standing right next to it for however many hours it took the attendees to file through.

Shirley was certain this would be the longest day of her life.

xoxo

Shirley had been surprised at how fast the day had flown by. A day she'd thought would crawl. A day she'd thought would bring her the worst heartache of her life.

Instead, she'd found herself finding the small blessings.

Keith, her rock, had not left her side while they'd greeted close friends, distant family and people who had had to introduce themselves so that Shirley would know who they were. They were people on the fringes of her husband's life who had felt the need to express their condolences. Her husband had been a very popular man and her son had been there with her through it all. Through the hours of standing, hugging, shaking hands, weeping softly. Through it all he had stoically stood beside her – not once breaking down but supporting her when she did. When had he grown taller than her?

Laurie, her angel, had left several times at Shirley's request to check on her siblings who were kept in a side room away from the masses. She had been serene and helpful beyond belief. She too had stayed close. She had supplied tissue when Shirley had been brought to tears by someone else's grief. She had reminded Shirley of people's names when her mind had been too overwhelmed to remember on her own.

Danny, her little comedian, had inserted moments of levity in situations that could have been dour. He had compared his father's popularity to that of President Kennedy. How he would know who that was, Shirley had no idea, but it had made her smile. He had helped her keep her perspective.

Chris and Tracy, her place of peace, had shown her unconditional love by greeting her with smiling faces and warm hugs every time she'd had a chance to get away for a few minutes.

Her parents, her reality, had kept all the little details from bothering her. They had allowed her to concentrate on what was important; herself and her children.

xoxo

The next several weeks were trying at best. Shirley was sleeping little and trying to be everything to everyone. After the funeral, she'd asked to be made full-time at the bank and had been immediately given more hours. Unfortunately, Dan had not had much life insurance. She'd thought about suing the family of the man who had hit him, but they were financially strapped due to his hospital bills and a lack of their own insurance. The man remained in a coma and his wife and daughters were just as bad off as Shirley and her kids.

Shirley had refused her lawyers advice to sue them anyway. She decided that she would figure it out. When the Lord closed a door, he opened a window, right? Right now, she was vainly searching for that open window.

Her parents had left just a few short days earlier. She had finally had to ask them to leave. She'd felt like she'd been relying on them too much. She had a long time to go before her kids were grown and she couldn't lean on her parents that whole time. She figured the sooner she started to stand on her own two feet, the sooner she'd be able to put her husband's death behind her.

So far, no such luck.

It was the little things that drove her crazy. Rolling onto _his_ side of the bed and finding it empty. Glancing at the foot of the dinner table to share a smile when one of their kids said something funny and finding it empty. Finding one of Dan's ties mixed in with her scarves even though she and her mother had removed all of Dan's personal items a week earlier and given them to charity with each of the kids being allowed to keep anything they wanted.

Sometimes, it was just a twinge of sadness that rippled through her system. Other times it was like a mule had kicked her in the stomach. Would it ever end?

Shirley realized she wasn't the only one struggling with the loss of Dan. Her kids were suffering too. Laurie was trying to be super-mom. Danny was acting up at school and had become a bully. Chris had gone the other direction and become withdrawn. Tracy was prone to temper tantrums that had never been part of her personality before this. All were issues she was working on with them individually. But to keep them together as a family unit, she also had daily family conferences. Conferences where they were encouraged to voice their feelings and opinions. Conferences that Keith refused to attend.

Because of this, Keith worried her the most. Keith's grades had started to suffer almost immediately. He slept even less than Shirley did if the dark circles under his eyes were any indication and he refused to talk about it since that day in the car. She had thought that conversation was the start of an open line of communication and that he would systematically work his way through his issues. She'd been wrong. She now realized that their discussion had only been the tip of the iceberg. And, if she didn't miss her guess, the iceberg had floated further out to sea; too far for her to reach.

He came home from school and disappeared into the garage as soon as his homework was done. He'd join them for dinner, of which he ate little and then disappeared again.

When she tried talking to him, he clammed up and just looked at her with haunted eyes. Eyes that reminded her of Dan.

It was like pounding her head against a brick wall – painful and fruitless. But, she kept trying and Keith kept resisting.

She knew he was writing music when he was out there because she could hear it from the house. Sometimes it was soft and melodious; other times, loud and frantic.

If Laurie or Danny went out to join him, she soon realized that Keith was teaching them his new songs. In a few months, they started to sound pretty good. Before too much time had gone by, Chris was out there too and a garage band was born. Oh, it was definitely in its infancy as far as sounding pulled together, but it wasn't too bad if a totally biased mother did say so herself.

Still Shirley worried. Keith was shutting out the outside world and focusing only on his music. Keith had almost completely stopped doing things with friends. And, dating? Well, she wasn't even sure he remembered what that word meant. The previously girl crazy teenager in her house was focusing totally on the inside of their garage.

She knew it wasn't healthy, but it was better than some alternatives she could have thought of.

xoxo

Christmas came and went. No one seemed to enjoy it much and the kids weren't even overly excited about Santa Claus. Thankfully no one seemed to notice that Santa's coffers must have been much lower than in previous years. Each child only received one present from Santa. Thankfully Grandma and Grandpa went crazy at the department store and showed up on Christmas Eve with a sack full of presents.

One of the few times that Keith had sat down to talk with his mother, he'd asked if he could get more amps and microphones for his Christmas present. She'd had to tell him that it just wasn't in the budget.

She'd hoped to allay his disappointment by suggesting that she use one of her days of vacation next week to take him to get his learners permit. It had slipped her mind after Dan's death that just three days after he'd been killed, he was to have taken Keith to get them. Keith had never mentioned them, so it wasn't a surprise that she'd forgotten. What had surprised her is that Keith had not once mentioned it. It was as if he had no desire to drive anymore. He no longer worked on the Chevy that he and his dad had so painstakingly restored. He would only do regular maintenance on the station wagon and only when Shirley asked him repeatedly. It was one additional expense she was glad to avoid – mechanics were not cheap and the wagon was getting older. She'd have to start thinking about saving for a new one should this one break something beyond Keith's abilities to fix. The thought was intimidating.

She longed for the days of worrying about putting money away for the kids' college educations. Now she worried about putting food on the table or clothes on their backs, not to mention the mortgage. They were just scraping by, but so far, she was ahead of the game and proud of that fact. So far she'd been able to decline her parents help and not regret it.

On one of their many surprise visits, they walked through the door with a shaggy dog they'd rescued from the pound. They'd announced that the dog needed a loving home and they'd immediately thought of Shirley and the kids. Simone, as she was soon named, brought smiles all around. She was affectionate and playful. The kids loved her immediately. Simone became especially attached to Keith, but he did his best to avoid her. Affection of any kind, even from an animal, was spurned by Keith.

That Friday after school, Shirley and Keith went to the DMV and Keith became the proud owner of his very own learners permit. He'd walked out of the official building and Shirley was almost surprised to see what looked like the ghost of a smile on her son's face. He rarely smiled any more.

"Can I drive home?" Keith looked at his mom hopefully.

"I don't know." Shirley said first but then noticed the up-tilt in his lips turn down and quickly made a decision. "If you promise not to throw me out at the first sign of a pretty girl, I'll hand over the keys."

Instead of the smile she'd expected that comment to garner, Keith frowned. Girls – they were something he'd put from his mind. Beth had been avoiding him for more than a month and after their last encounter he'd been sure that she would at least talk to him. She'd gone the opposite direction and wouldn't even look at him. He'd assumed that she regretted sleeping with him and was too embarrassed to even tell him to get lost.

As for other girls, at first he had simply avoided all contact with people who showed him sympathy – his friends included. He didn't need reminders of his loss. It smacked him in the face every day when he looked at his mother's worried, tired face. He'd offered to get a job after school, but with his grades already slipping, she'd adamantly refused. He just couldn't find the energy to do anything outside of writing music.

The music was something that he and his dad had shared that didn't bring him too much pain. Working on his car brought back too many memories. Oh, music did too, but for some reason writing music seemed to take the pain and turn it into something else; something beautiful.

His father had been right when he'd told him that something in his life would allow him to start writing lyrics too. The loss of his father had seemed to turn on the spigot. Songs had been flowing out of him like water. Some he knew would never see the light of day; they were too personal. Songs where he put aside his grief and wrote about happier times, those had potential.

He pulled his mind back to the present long enough to drive his mother safely home. She'd complimented him on his ability to drive for what she thought had been the very first time. He hadn't felt the need to correct her – that his dad had let him drive several times before he'd gotten his learners permit. It was a memory he treasured and couldn't find the will to share with even his mother.

"Mom, once I get my license, can I get a job after school? To help out?" Keith tried once again to 'man up' to his responsibilities.

"Keith, that's a few months away yet, but I won't even consider it until your grades improve." Shirley reminded him as they began to walk toward the house.

"If I do that, then you'll let me?" Keith would really try to concentrate at school if she would agree to let him help.

"We'll talk after I see your next report card. Deal?" Shirley suggested.

"Sounds fair." Keith nodded.

"But, Keith, in the meantime, why don't you spend some time with your friends. Gordy and Skizzy call almost every night looking for you. I think they miss you." Shirley felt like they'd had this conversation a hundred times and that wasn't too much of an exaggeration.

"I'll think about it, but I don't understand why it's such a big deal. I thought you'd be happy that I was spending more time at home." Keith figured he'd never understand parents. One minute they were complaining that he never spent any time at home and then they wanted him to get out more. If they'd just make up their minds.

"Keith, I love having you home. It's just that other than school, you haven't gone anywhere since…." She'd been about to say since his father had died, but they both knew when his change in behavior had started. "well, in quite some time."

"Fine. I'll call the guys and go out tonight. Good enough?" Keith agreed.

"That'd be good." Shirley said to his retreating back. Why did she feel like she'd just gotten him to do something that he really didn't want to do? She'd asked him to go out and have a good time. To spend time with his friends. He should be happy about it, not resigned.

xoxo

Keith did exactly what he'd told his mom he would; he called Gordy and Skizzy and they went to the taco stand. Gordy had already gotten his license as his birthday was in November. His parents had given him their old car as a birthday present even though he'd had to wait until December to drive it. It had taken him three tries to get his license. Gordy was an awful driver.

The gang welcomed him back with open arms and ignored the fact that he seemed quiet and withdrawn. He'd been that way at school since Dan had died, so they hadn't expected much when he'd called. They were just happy to have him around. They could wait until he felt like joining in again.

They both laughed as several of the girls from their group began to throw themselves at Keith and he barely even noticed. It was just like old times. Keith was popular without even trying.

They left the taco stand in plenty of time to get home before curfew. Well, they would have if Keith hadn't suggested an alternate plan. Gordy and Skizzy were loathe to refuse as it was the first time the three of them had been together in months.

They reluctantly agreed and fervently hoped they wouldn't regret it.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

He walked through the front door an hour after his curfew but she wasn't waiting for him like he'd expected. The house was dark.

He shrugged his shoulders, locked the door and headed upstairs. He almost expected to see a light on under her door but it was dark. He paused with his hand on his bedroom doorknob, but there were no sounds coming from anywhere. Not even an intermittent snore from the rest of the sleeping family.

He was almost disappointed that there'd be no confrontation. He shrugged again and closed his bedroom door behind him.

Shirley heard Keith's bedroom door close softly behind him and let out a sigh. She'd been standing by her window and had watched him walk up to the house just over an hour after his normal curfew.

She'd gone up to her room before Keith's curfew not wanting it to seem like she'd been waiting up for him. After all it was the first time he'd been out since Dan's death. Was he pushing his limits or had they had car trouble? Was he testing her?

She struggled with how to handle the issue. Should she confront him? Was this a one time occurrence or should she expect him to test her again and again?

She didn't want to overreact and push him further away. She already felt like the gulf between them had lengthened and deepened since there talk in the car. He was well out of her reach right now. What would it take to bring him back?

None of the other kids were out of control. Well, honestly, Keith wasn't out of control. Not yet, anyway. Should she bide her time and see if things turned around on their own? Maybe she should talk to a doctor or something. See if what he was going through was normal. She had no experience in this type of thing – teenagers and grief. It was uncharted territory.

She stayed standing by the window gazing at the quiet street and arguing with herself on how to handle her son. She'd have been either relieved, or maybe more worried, that her son was in much the same pose, doing much the same thing.

Keith stood at his window looking at the quiet backyard and wondering why he'd talked Gordy and Skizzy into toilet papering the Principal's yard. It was a relatively harmless prank and he'd only suggested it so that he would get home after curfew. He wanted to see how his mom would react. His plan had fallen short when he realized she hadn't waited up for him.

He stood there arguing with himself about whether or not to continue to push her. What was he hoping for? A confrontation or a loosening of the rules he had to live within?

Keith turned his thoughts from his contemplation of why he was testing his mom to the other female in his life who was testing him. Well, that wasn't quite true; Beth wasn't exactly in his life. She flitted in and out like a butterfly – never lighting long on any given surface. It was maddening. One day she was talking to him, the next she was ignoring him. One day she was making love to him, the next day she was giving him the cold shoulder.

Beth was even harder to try to figure out than his mom. Keith finally felt a yawn take over and decided to see if he could sleep. He wasn't usually successful, at least not for very long.

He slid into bed and soon lost touch with the conscious world.

Shirley, too, finally felt like she might be able to get some sleep. It was only a few hours before the kids would wake her up, but she felt like she'd made a decision on how to handle Keith. For now, she would ignore his late night but if it happened again, she would confront him.

She took off her robe and crawled under the covers. She lay there for a few minutes and then finally slid over to Dan's side of the bed. She whispered to the empty room, "Dan? If you're listening, please help me reach your son. You were always able to talk to him and to get him to open up. Give me some help here, hmmm?"

She felt a sense of peace overtake her just as the webs of sleep were claiming her.

xoxo

"Hey, Keith. Can I help?" Laurie said as she walked into the garage.

"Yeah, actually I think you might just be able to." Keith said absently as he looked up from his sheet music. He'd been contemplating his latest arrangement when he realized he'd need to hear the piano part while he was playing his guitar to find out if it really worked.

"Wow, with that kind of enthusiasm, maybe I should take back my offer." Laurie teased him.

"Sorry, I was just absorbed in what I was doing. I could really use your help. You'll stay won't you?" Keith tried to appease her.

It had been a long time since Keith had appeared to want Laurie's presence rather than simply putting up with her that she jumped at the chance. "I'll stay. What are you working on?"

"Here take a look." Keith slid over on the piano bench and pushed the music toward Laurie who was just sitting down next to him. Laurie started to lazily run the fingers of her right hand over the corresponding keys to the notes on the page.

"Pick up the tempo." Keith urged.

"Alright, alright. I was just trying to get a feel for it. I've not seen this one before." Laurie bumped her shoulder into his and put both hands on the keys. "Alright, I'm ready."

Keith counted off and Laurie came in on cue. They played through the music once and then again with a couple of minor changes suggested by Keith.

"Yeah, I really like it. It's fun." Laurie grinned at Keith. "Add some drums and it'll be a real rocker. Does it have words?"

"Not yet, but I'm workin' on it." Keith found himself returning her grin. He found that music was the one thing that could bring joy back into his world. "Do you think maybe Chris and Danny would join us? I'd like to hear it with bass and drums."

"Not until after lunch. This time of day Danny's too hungry to concentrate. But, if we ask nicely I bet we can get 'em both out here." Laurie suggested.

"Wow, it's lunch time already?" Keith rubbed his stomach and wondered why he hadn't noticed.

"Yeah, actually, I'm probably in trouble because I was supposed to come and get you. The food is probably already getting cold. Let's go." Laurie pulled him toward the door.

"I guess I am a little hungry." Keith finally realized. He was starting to get so lost in his music that simple things just slipped his mind.

Laurie rolled her eyes as she'd heard her brother's stomach growling while they'd been playing. He had apparently been completely oblivious to it. Amazing.

They came back out after lunch and the whole group played the song through several times. Keith showed Chris exactly what he wanted from him on the drums by playing the song himself first. Danny was already able to read sheet music and even Tracy had refused to be left out, so Keith had stuck a tambourine in her hands and she'd followed along with Chris keeping the beat.

"Not too bad." Keith said when they finished.

"I'll say. I think we sounded pretty darn good." Laurie agreed.

"Not good enough." Danny pipe up.

"Not good enough, for what?" Laurie couldn't understand why he was putting them down. They were a bunch of kids in a garage. What did he think; they were performing in Carnegie Hall?

"Well, I figure that with Keith writing all these groovy songs, we should consider recording one." Danny had been scheming in his room late at night after his mom had told him to go to sleep.

"Oh, you did. And, just who would listen to 'em?" Laurie sassed. "Besides, they don't have any words."

"Well, just this one doesn't - yet. The others do." Keith said absently as he mulled over Danny's suggestion. Could they really record some of his music? They'd need a lead singer. He didn't really dig the idea of singing lead. Birthday parties were bad enough, but a whole audience – the thought was unnerving.

"Really? Well, let's hear 'em." Danny immediately suggested.

"You guys understand what harmonizing is?" Keith looked at Danny and Chris skeptically. "I mean, I know Laurie does, but what about you guys?"

"What's harmon….harmon….whatever you just said?" Tracy asked innocently.

"We can learn." Danny said quickly.

"Well, if you really want to try." Keith pulled out a different song that was mostly finished.

For the next several hours, they memorized words and Keith started to teach them the harmonies to the melodies of his songs. He'd been surprised to find that they all had perfect pitch. They must have inherited it from their Mom who had a wonderful voice but refused to admit it. She constantly insisted that she couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

"So, should we record it?" Danny said after they'd sung it through without any mistakes on the fourth try.

"Oh, sure. Who's going to pay for the recording studio?" Keith threw a monkey wrench in Danny's plans.

"Who needs a studio? We just performed in our garage and it sounded fine." Danny pointed out.

"Yeah, but on tape, you need better acoustics. Besides we need another soprano voice for the arrangements to work." Keith pointed out. "And, that's another thing. We'd need recording equipment. See any around here?"

"Those are all solvable problems." Danny rubbed his chin while he thought.

Keith and Laurie exchanged a look of patience and shared a smile at the little tycoon in the making.

"Danny, there are millions of problems not just the ones we've mentioned. What about amplifiers and microphones?" Laurie added her skepticism to Keith's.

Keith remembered asking for them for Christmas and being told that there were no funds available for anything that wasn't a necessity. They'd need to come into a windfall to make their dream of recording a song come true.

"I'll work on the problems. Keith, you keep writing songs. By the time you have enough for an album, I'll have a solution." Danny said and walked out of the garage muttering to himself.

"Can we go play now?" Chris asked as he picked up his baseball mitt.

"Of course you can. Go on." Laurie shooed he and Tracy out of the garage. She turned back to Keith and started to laugh. "Could you imagine us recording a record?"

"Not really. There are way too many logistical problems." Keith said as he put away his guitar. He'd had an idea for lyrics on his latest tune and just wanted to go to his room to work it out.

"Logistical problems. There are more than logistical problems. We'd need a lead singer. I mean we're good backup singers, but none of us would want to sing lead. Would you?" Laurie turned to walk out of the garage with Keith.

"No. Maybe. I don't know." Keith said not really paying attention any more. His eyes had lit upon the Chevy sitting in the driveway. He still had a couple of months before his sixteenth birthday and his driver's license. Could he give up his wheels for a shot at making a record with his family? Were they good enough? Or, was he just as crazy as Danny for thinking it was possible?

xoxo

Beth dialed the number and nervously put her ear to the phone. "Pick up, please." She begged the ringing line.

"Hello." Barbara said from more than 200 miles away at college.

"Hi, Barbara. It's me." Beth said breathlessly.

"Hey, Beth. What's up?" Barbara asked.

"Can you come home this weekend?" Beth asked quickly.

"I'm sort of busy. Why? Is something wrong?" Barbara knew Beth wouldn't ask her to come home for something small. "Everyone's alright, aren't they?"

"Yeah, sure. We're all fine." Beth assured her and then bit her lip on the lie. "I, umm, I need to talk to you about something, that's all."

"Well talk. I'm listening." Barbara reminded her.

"It's sort of personal. And, not something I want to talk about on the phone." Beth said quietly afraid that her parents or Brenda would hear her.

"You are alright. Right?" Barbara needed reassurance.

"Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't I be?" Beth tried laughing and then had to choke back a sob.

"Beth, this is big, isn't it? I only have one class tomorrow. I'll skip it and leave now. I can be home in a few hours. Meet me at the taco stand, say around 10:00." Barbara suggested knowing that they couldn't talk at home if Beth was this upset.

"I'll be there. And, Barbara, thank you. You have no idea…." She left the rest hanging.

"You're my sister. I love you, you know that. I'll always be here for you. Hang on for a couple more hours. I'll see you later." Barbara said as she began to mentally prepare herself for the trip home. Oh, please, let everything be alright.

xoxo

Beth kept herself separated from the other kids at the taco stand. She'd gotten there at least a half an hour before she expected Barbara to show up. She'd been pacing in her bedroom and Brenda had found her there. She'd barely been able to put her off with some silly excuse about being nervous about an upcoming test. She figured it was just smarter to leave the house.

She'd had to refuse several invitations to join groups of kids. She'd just told them she was waiting for her sister. They'd all assumed she was lying and that she was meeting a guy and they all watched her curiously to see who would eventually join her.

Well, let them watch. They'd all be disappointed when Barbara showed up.

The relieved laugh she let out when she finally saw her sister's car pull into the parking lot sounded suspiciously like a sob. She firmly pushed the urge down and got up to walk toward her sister who had already gotten out of her car.

Barbara stopped walking as soon as she saw the brittle smile on Beth's face. She figured the parking lot was a better place to meet her than in the middle of the kids sitting at the picnic tables around the stand. She smiled encouragingly back and watched Beth pick up her pace. Barbara swallowed hard. She had a really bad feeling about this.

"Hi, thanks for coming." Beth said knowing that the tears were very near the surface.

"Come on, let's go and talk in the car." Barbara grabbed Beth's arm and pulled her the few feet back toward her car. She was suddenly glad that she'd pulled into the far end of the lot. Barbara pulled the passenger door open and pushed Beth inside. She glanced back at the stand to make sure no one was paying any attention to them and then walked around to get in on the driver's side.

"Alright, spill it." Barbara decided that it would be best to get right to the point.

"I'm late." Beth's words dissolved into a sob that she'd just barely held back for the last couple of hours.

Barbara's head pulled back in surprise. She didn't have to ask what she meant. Somehow she just knew. "How late?" She asked.

"More than a month." Beth bit her lip trying to hold back the remaining sobs that wanted so badly to come out.

"Well, that's not all that late." Barbara said with false hope.

"Yes it is and you know it." Beth reminded her. She knew Barbara had been trying to make her feel better by lying to her. They had talked about sex often, especially since Barbara had been away at school and had been experimenting once out from under the watchful eyes of their parents.

Beth had been about to give in to Greg's pressure to go all the way when Barbara reminded her that losing one's virginity should be by choice not because your boyfriend was pressuring you. Barbara's words had given Beth the courage to hold out and she was thankful every day that she had. In hindsight, her relationship with Greg had really never been one of love on her part. It had been based on prestige at first and then eventually on fear. Not a good basis for a sexual relationship, must less that of a steady boyfriend.

"Who's the potential father?" Barbara just had to know. The last she'd heard, Beth had been playing the field; not getting serious about anyone. Her experience with Greg had closed her off from wanting to get emotionally involved with another guy. At least, that's what Barbara had assumed from their previous conversations on the subject.

"I can't tell you." Beth wanted to keep Keith's name out of it if she could.

"You call me home from school, drop a bomb on me that you might be pregnant but think it's alright to withhold a very important piece of information from me?" Barbara couldn't hide the look of hurt surprise.

"It's complicated." Beth wasn't sure that Barbara would understand her relationship with Keith. Hell, she didn't understand it. She also knew that Barbara was aware of Brenda's continued feelings for Keith. Oh, this was completely impossible.

"I'll say. My guess is it's someone I wouldn't normally suspect. Not someone you've told me you've been dating or it would have been easy to tell me who it was. It has to be someone that I'd be surprised to hear." Barbara tried fishing for the information.

"I'll say. You'd never guess this one." Beth muttered.

"In that case, my vote goes to Keith Partridge." Barbara deduced. She got her answer immediately when Beth's head snapped up and her astonished eyes flew to her sister. She wasn't surprised when Beth tried masking her surprise and immediately tried to deny it.

"Now, where in the world would you come up with that name? He's only a sophomore. Besides, Brenda still has feelings for him." Beth pointed out and then immediately dissolved into tears.

Barbara slid across the seat and pulled her sister into a hug. "You, dear sister, are an idiot."

Barbara's words caused Beth's tears to dry up and she pulled away to look at her sister in shock.

"What? You're going to argue that one?" Barbara smiled ruefully at her sister.

"Well, no. I guess I can't, but you just called me an idiot." Beth was hurt by her words.

"You are. I've known since Brenda's birthday party that Keith had caught your attention just as surely as he had Brenda's. I mean, I just don't see it, but the two of you - whatever he's got, two out of three Morgan sisters sure fall for it and fall for it hard." Barbara grinned.

"Oh, Barbara, what am I going to do?" Beth tried to keep the question down to a minor wail of despair.

"While I ponder that question, why don't you fill me in on just how, exactly, you ended up sleeping with Keith?" Barbara suggested.

"Well, you know that we've been kind of becoming friends over the past year or so. He helped me with my Christmas solo last year and then he stopped Greg from using me as a punching bag by offering himself as a sacrifice. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a guy who'll take a punch for me." Beth joked half-heartedly.

"He does have that going for him. I guess when you put it that way, I kind of like the guy myself." Barbara joked back.

"Well you can't have him." Beth answered before she thought about it; her jealousy springing to the fore before she could stop it.

Barbara put her hands up in surrender and laughed while she said, "He's all yours. I was just saying that I might, just might, see what you find so attractive about the guy."

"I'm sorry. I'm so confused. I don't want to like him. Really, I don't." Beth whispered.

"I can see that." Barbara sarcastically agreed with her very confused sister.

"Oh, Barbara, you just don't understand. He's everything that Greg wasn't and then some. He's good for my self-esteem. He looks at me like I walk on water. He kisses – well, not like any boy as young as he is should." Beth sighed.

"Might this be why you ended up potentially carrying his child?" Barbara really wanted to find out what had happened.

"There is that. I've accidentally ended up kissing him several times." Beth grinned sheepishly and looked down after catching Barbara's eyes roll at her latest comment. "Oh, alright, I instigated them. Sort of as an experiment, once. I just wanted to have something to compare to Greg's maulings and I have to tell you, Keith rated WAY higher on the kissing scale. In fact, he was sort of off the charts, good."

"Maybe I should rethink my plan to let you have him all to yourself." Barbara teased.

"Very funny. But even with all of that, I've really tried to stay away from him. Both for my good, his good and even Brenda's. It's just that things happen. And, the next thing I know I'm kissing him again." Beth gnawed on her thumb nail.

"I'd say you did a little more than kiss if you're period is late." Barbara reminded her.

"Well, yeah, but just once." Beth conceded.

"Oh, honey, don't tell me you're naïve enough not to know that once is all it takes." Barbara said in shock.

"Oh, I know that. I just meant that it wasn't like I was sleeping with him on a regular basis." Beth defended herself.

"Oh, well, then." Barbara rolled her eyes again.

"You do know that his dad died, right?" Beth tried defending herself again.

"What? You're trying to tell me this was a sympathy fuck?" Barbara decided to put it bluntly to see if she could finally get Beth to tell her the truth.

"Of course not!" Beth's head had snapped back in surprise at her sister's blunt words. "I would never have slept with him because I felt sorry for him. That's just twisted."

"Well, then why did you?" Barbara thought that Beth might just be approaching the reality of why she had done what she had done.

"Because he was hurting so badly. I could feel his pain. I wanted to help. I wanted to make the pain go away." Beth stumbled. "Oh, god, I slept with him because I really do have feelings for him. Oh, god, Barbara, I'm in love with him. Aren't I?"

"That would be my guess." Barbara confirmed.

"What am I going to do?" Beth whispered.

"Well, your first step is to find out for sure if you're pregnant." Barbara suggested.

"How can I do that without everyone finding out?" Beth threw a worried glance at her sister that turned to horror as a new thought crossed her mind. "Oh, god, I need to tell Keith, don't I?"

"That would be a good idea." Barbara agreed.

"Just how do I do that?" Beth bit her lip and dissolved back into the tears that were always so close to the surface.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Shirley began to think that the worst of Keith's problems were in the past. He seemed much happier than he had since Dan's death and it all appeared to be tied into his music. The rest of the kids had become just as involved in learning Keith's songs as he was in writing them and they would practice almost daily. Shirley would hear music floating from the garage most afternoons and some evenings.

At first she'd wanted to break up the sessions and force the kids to go outside and play, but she'd watched from the doorway, hidden by the one stack of amplifiers they had, and seen the smiles on their faces. They were happy. She just could not bring herself to mess with a good thing.

Keith's curfew breaking had been a one time deal. He would meet friends on different nights, but was always home when she'd tell him to be. She hoped this meant his experiment of testing his limits was over.

She smiled as she heard the 'garage band' start another tune. Parental pride caused her to rate their talent as 'off the charts' good. She found herself humming along as she made dinner or performed some other household chore. They were quite catchy tunes.

xoxo

"Keith can you meet me at the park?" Beth had finally decided it was time to tell Keith the truth. She still hadn't had it confirmed by a doctor, but now she was starting to experience what she suspected was morning sickness. There weren't too many options left. She either had an awful disease or she was pregnant. Given their recent activities, her money was on pregnant.

"I suppose. What's this about?" Keith wasn't thrilled to be hearing from Beth again. Since their extracurricular activities in the garage more than a month ago, she'd avoided him once again. He had finally talked himself into believing that life was too short to wait for her to make up her mind about him. He was moving on. Or, so he'd thought. Now, here she was again.

"I need to talk to you." Beth said vaguely.

"Fine. What time?" Keith said abruptly. Why was she being so cloak and dagger?

"Can you be there in fifteen minutes?" Beth asked.

"I'll be there." Keith hung up the phone and sighed. What now? Had she thought of a new way to push him away that had to be done face to face?

Keith got there first and sat down on a bench that was as far away from the other park attendees as possible. He figured he'd rather be rejected in private.

Beth pulled up in her mother's station wagon. Keith watched her get out and scan the park looking for him. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't try to draw her attention to him right away. He just watched her. She looked tired and worried. He hadn't seen her looking like that since right after Greg had forced her to reevaluate her whole life. He frowned. What could have her so worried again? Shouldn't her life be carefree and happy now?

She finally noticed him and waving, walked toward him. She didn't hurry over, but took her time almost as if she didn't really want to be there either.

"Hi." She said as she sat down tentatively next to him.

"Hi." Keith glanced away. No matter how often he told himself it was over, he still had problems when he looked at her. She embodied his ideal woman and he figured the less he looked at her, the more he might be able to deny it.

"Thanks for coming." Beth struggled to find the right words.

"No problem." Keith's eyes had lit upon a basketball game taking place across the park and he forced himself to watch the game rather than looking at her.

"Keith, look at me." Beth whispered. "Please."

"Why?" Keith glanced at her and then back at the game.

"Look, I have to tell you something and I'd rather you were looking at me." Beth reasoned.

"Fine." Keith looked deeply into her eyes and felt himself drowning in their dark depths. Oh, he should never have agreed to meet her. He could feel all of his resolve slipping away. To stop his slide, he kept his words short. "Talk."

"Hey, Beth. What are you doing here?" Beth jumped at the interruption and glanced up to see one of her girlfriends from school walking by.

"Oh, hi Mallory. Nothing much. What are you doing here?" Beth covered quickly.

"I'm picking up my little sister. She's on the swings." Mallory looked from Beth to Keith and frowned. Hadn't Beth always denied to her friends that there was anything between her and Keith? Yet, here she was sitting with him in the park. Not that they were doing anything. In fact, they weren't even sitting that close together. Still, it would be fodder for the rumor mill. Mallory couldn't wait to report back to the rest of their friends.

"Oh, so your mom has you on babysitting duty." Beth tried joking to cover.

"Looks like you are too." Mallory threw a meaningful glance at Keith.

"I'm out of here." Keith didn't need to put up with Mallory's derogatory comments about him.

"Keith, wait." Beth called after him. "Mallory, sometimes you can be such a bitch."

"That's the pot calling the kettle black." Mallory said to Beth's departing back as she had to jog to catch up to the quickly departing Keith.

"Keith wait." Beth said again as she reached out to grab his arm.

"Look Beth, I don't need to be insulted by your friends. You've explained several times that things will never work between us and I'm fine with that. Let's just agree to ignore each other, ok?" Keith reached down to remove her hand from his arm and turned to walk away again.

"Keith, please." Beth grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers thinking it would be harder for him to get away.

"Look, Mallory is still watching us. She's going to get the wrong idea if you don't let go of my hand." Keith reminded her.

"Oh, who cares about Mallory." Beth said passionately.

"I always thought you did. You were the one who was so worried about what everyone would think about us spending time together." Keith tried to gently tug his hand away.

"Look, I'm sorry about that. Can we go somewhere else? I really do need to talk to you." Beth was practically begging.

"Fine." Keith said grudgingly.

xoxo

"Laurie, do you know where Keith went?" Shirley asked. He'd told her he was leaving but had given her no indication of where he was going, who he would be with or when he would be back.

"No, I don't mom." Laurie looked up from her school work that was propped in her lap. "Why do you need him for something? Maybe I could help."

"Not unless you want to change the oil in the wagon." Shirley covered quickly. She really didn't have anything for Keith to do, she was just curious about where he had gone.

"Sorry, can't help you there." Laurie grinned.

"That's alright honey. Just finish your homework." Shirley smiled back. It was wonderful to see smiles back on her children's faces.

xoxo

"So, this is Muldoon's Point." Keith commented as Beth pulled into a spot far away from the few other cars parked here on a week night. If it had been a weekend, the place would have been packed. As it was, they were able to keep some distance between themselves and the other parked cars.

"It is. Don't tell me you've never been here before." Beth teased.

"I don't have my license yet. It's not like I'd have my mom drive me up here for a date." Keith joked back.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot. You're birthday isn't that far away, is it?" Beth decided that small talk might be better before she dropped the bomb.

"A couple of months." Keith glanced back at Beth after checking out the view. "Look, I'm guessing you asked me to talk so that you could tell me that we can't see each other anymore."

Beth wasn't able to maintain eye contact and glanced out the windshield. Before she could decide how to word the phrase that would change Keith's future, he interrupted her.

"I'm alright with that. I've even got a date for Friday night. My first date since…" Keith let his voice trail off. He still couldn't mention his dad's death in casual conversation. It was nowhere near a casual subject. "Anyway, you can let yourself off the hook. I'm not pining away after you. I'm moving on, so to speak."

"Oh, I see." Beth said vaguely. Just great! How long had she and Keith been flirting with each other? And, now, when she needed him to still have a thing for her, he was moving on. If she had any luck at all, it was bad.

"You've been telling me since we met that we weren't right for each other and I finally realized that you were right. You can leave with a clear conscience." Keith too had looked away while he made his little speech. He'd been mentally practicing it since she called him. He wanted to let her off the hook. He hoped it worked because he wasn't sure how much more time he could spend in her company and keep himself believing it.

Beth had been watching him while he talked. He looked serious and sincere. What should she do now? Just blurt it out? Not likely. She at least needed to know that he liked her at least a little bit. Oh, this was not turning out like she had planned. Not that she'd planned much. There are only so many ways you can tell a boy that he's going to be a father.

"So, what's her name?" Beth needed to know who her competition was, didn't she?

"What?" Keith looked back at Beth when she'd asked the question. He wasn't following her.

"The girl you have a date with. What's her name?"

"Oh, I'm not sure you'll know her. She's a sophomore too." Keith hedged. He hadn't actually asked her out yet. He would first thing tomorrow though. He didn't want to be a complete liar.

"Ah, I see. I'm sure she's better for you." Beth agreed.

"Right. We're the same age and all. She doesn't have any sisters." Keith wasn't sure that last comment was true, but it sounded good.

"I can see how that would be a plus." Beth smiled sadly. She had to wonder if Brenda hadn't had such a big crush on Keith if things might have been different. It wasn't just the two of them trying to work through their own problems, but there were always Brenda's feelings to consider.

Keith just nodded. He too wondered how different things could have been; might have been. After several minutes of silence, Keith glanced back at Beth to find her staring at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She had this wistful look on her face.

"I guess I was just wondering….if things were different…." She let it trail off.

"Yeah, well, I've recently learned that life isn't always fair." Keith said a little bitterly.

"Oh, Keith, I'm sorry." She didn't qualify her apology. She was sorry for so many things. The way she'd treated him since the day they'd met. The loss of his father. The news she had yet to share with him. And, with that last thought, she broke down in tears.

"Oh, hey, don't cry. Please." Keith had no idea why she was crying. All he knew is that a crying female made him very uncomfortable. His words seemed to make her cry harder. Great, what to do?

He slid across the seat and put his arm around her awkwardly. He knew what to do if he was moving in for a kiss, but moving in to comfort someone was new territory. He figured he'd made the right move when she threw her arms around him and put her head on his shoulder. He brought his other arm around her and rocked her in his arms much like his mother had done while he'd cried after his visit to the hospital. It had made him feel better, so he hoped it would work now.

After several minutes, she appeared to quiet down considerably. Keith tried to pull back, but she didn't let him get far. He gently pushed away enough to get his arms between them and put his hands on either side of her face so that he could look into her eyes. He was out of luck; her wet lashes were firmly closed over her expressive eyes. Something was really bothering her and he wanted to find out what it was. He looked into her tear stained face and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. This caused her eyes to fly open and he grinned at her.

"Feeling better?" He asked quietly.

She automatically grinned back. It was so hard not to respond to his smile. "A little."

"So, what was that all about?" Keith gently wiped his thumbs across her cheeks to dry the last few tears that still clung there.

Beth knew this was her chance to tell him. She took a deep breath and was just about to blurt it out when she paused. He was so cute; especially when he was grinning like he was right now. He actually looked sort of happy. Could she really take that away from him?

Instead of talking, she impulsively leaned forward and brought her lips to his. She knew he was surprised by her move, because his lips weren't responsive – at first. After just a short time, his lips began to slide over hers. It hadn't taken him long to recover from his surprise. Oh, this felt so right.

Keith knew he shouldn't kiss her back, but seriously, how was he supposed to resist? And, why should he? She'd made the first move. Obviously she wanted this as much, if not more, than he did.

Keith did what any red-blooded fifteen year old would do. He took the lead and took it as far as she would let him. Kisses were answered with sighs. Caresses were answered with moans. Loss of clothes was met with urgently whispered yeses. Before long they moved in unspoken agreement to the back of the station wagon where the back seat had conveniently been folded down so that the back was almost as comfortable and roomy as a bed.

Keith had a moment of pause when he realized the back seat had been folded down previously. Had she planned this? Is this why she'd asked him to meet her? If it was her plan all along, who was he to argue? He was most definitely happy with the outcome.

xoxo

Shirley waited up for Keith. She remembered the promise she'd made herself to confront him if he missed his curfew again and he was officially late as of ten minutes ago. Shirley had kept herself busy with packing the kids lunches for school the next day, but had recently ran out of things to do that would keep her downstairs. She could no longer claim that she had been up because she had work to do. The only reason she was awake at this hour was because her eldest was pushing his limits. She didn't know whether to be angry or worried. As the ten minutes turned into twenty and then forty-five, her anger turned to worry and just as quickly back again. She caught herself pacing in front of the fireplace. She sat down and tried to read a magazine. That lasted another five minutes before she was back up and looking out the front window. The lack of movement on the street caused her to pace again. She glanced at the phone and considered calling the police but nixed that idea quickly when she realized that all she could say was 'my son is late for his curfew'.

Her worry had definitely been replaced with anger when the front door finally opened one hour and fifteen minutes after his curfew.

"Where have you been?" was out of her mouth before Keith had even registered that she was waiting for him.

She watched him jump and turn quickly toward her. Was he blushing? She looked him over closely and discovered what she was certain was a hickey forming on his neck. He'd been with a girl while she'd been worried sick about him. She stewed as she waited for his answer.

"I was out." Keith said flippantly and then saw the red color begin to seep up his mother's neck. He realized she was angrier than he'd ever seen her. He swallowed hard but just stood there. There was no way he was admitting that he'd spent the last several hours at Muldoon's Point much less what he'd been doing there.

"Where and with who?" Shirley tried valiantly to keep her voice level and her temper under control.

"The park and around." Keith kept his answer vague. He avoided the 'who' altogether.

"The park closes at 11:00. It's now after midnight. Try again." Shirley began to walk toward him.

Keith had no desire for her to get too close. If she did, he knew she would guess what he'd been up to. 'A frontal attack is the best approach' was his impulsive decision.

"You know, it's really none of your business where I was or what I was doing." Keith thought that might do the trick.

It did. His unexpected answer caused Shirley to stop in her tracks. She gaped at him. Had he just thrown a challenge in her face?

"What did you say?" She asked quietly.

"You heard me." Keith threw his head back and then turned his back on his mother to walk up the stairs. "Look, I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

He hadn't even reached the stairs when her next words reached him. "Yes, that's probably best. Go to your room. In fact, the inside of your room is all you'll be seeing for the next two weeks."

"You're grounding me?" Keith asked, not really surprised.

"You're lucky that's all I'm doing." Shirley had the desire to spank him though she hadn't had to do that in over 10 years.

"Fine. Goodnight." Keith said without turning back around. He just figured he'd gotten off easy. If she'd known what he was really doing, he was pretty sure he wouldn't see the light of day until he was 21.

He was trying to cover something up. She knew it, but couldn't figure out what it was. First, he'd never said who he was with or even where he'd been. On top of that, he'd accepted his punishment way too easily. She decided to try one more thing to get his attention. "No music for those two week's either."

Keith had gotten halfway up the first series of steps before the bend. Her last words caused him to spin around. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." Shirley knew he had. She could see his anger in his eyes. She'd taken the one thing away from him that mattered. Well, at least she had his attention. She expected him to bargain or try to cajole her out of that particular portion of the punishment.

"Fine." Keith's answer surprised Shirley so much that she couldn't think fast enough to stop him from finally going to his room. She'd hoped to keep him around long enough to figure out where he'd been and who the girl was who had left her mark on him.

xoxo

The next morning was tense to say the least. Keith came down only minutes before he had to leave and said nothing to anyone. He simply looked at Laurie to see if she would follow him out the door.

Laurie threw a puzzled look at her mom, grabbed her books and headed out the door behind her brother.

"Keith, what in the world is going on?" Laurie asked as she practically had to jog to catch up to him.

"Nothing." Keith said sullenly.

"Right and that scene I just witnessed never happened. You and mom have a fight last night?" Laurie tried again.

"You could say that." Keith agreed.

"Who won?" Laurie joked hoping to get a smile out of Keith.

"She did." Keith admitted.

Laurie wanted answers, so she finally grabbed Keith's arm to stop him from walking. When he spun toward her, she noticed a mark on his neck that hadn't been there yesterday. "Oh my god, is that a hickey?" came out before she could stop it.

"Yeah, so what?" Keith tried to turn and continue walking.

"Oh, no brother dear, you are going to explain what's going on. Start talking." Laurie grabbed his arm again.

"Fine, I got home a little late last night. She was waiting up." Keith started to explain.

"And?" Laurie urged.

"She grounded me." Keith said and turned once again to walk.

"That's not everything. I can tell. If you were just grounded, you wouldn't be this mad." Laurie reminded him as she walked beside him once again.

"She also told me no music for those two weeks." Keith sounded almost forlorn.

"You're kidding!" Laurie knew that music was the only thing that seemed to bring any of them much happiness right now. She also knew that her mother knew that. Why in the world would she take that away from Keith?

"No, I'm not." Keith was getting mad all over again. How could she?

Laurie stopped Keith from walking by pulling on his arm again. He spun toward her impatiently. "Look, if you keep stopping us from walking, we're going to be late for school. I'd hate to think what she'd take away from me if that happened."

"You are definitely leaving something major out." Laurie said and watched Keith walk away from her again. She shouted after him. "I'm going to find out. You know that, right?"

Keith threw a 'ha' over his shoulder. Only two people knew what he was doing last night and he knew Beth wouldn't tell anyone. She wouldn't even admit to people that they were friends much less lovers. And, he wasn't talking. Who would believe him the way she treated him when they weren't making love? She treated him like he had the plague. Yet get her alone, and she was all over him. Women. He'd never understand them.

Laurie decided to watch and listen more carefully over the next few days and weeks. Maybe, just maybe, she could figure out what was going on.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

By the end of the first week, Keith was bored out of his mind. Without his music, the only thing he had to do was homework. His grades would likely improve, but he was definitely going stir crazy. He needed to get out of his room that had become a prison. He used to like the solitude it granted him from his younger brothers and sisters, but now it just seemed lonely.

As he'd expected, Beth had ignored his existence starting the very next day. It was her pattern. Why he was surprised, he didn't know.

On top of that, he hadn't been able to ask anyone out for the next weekend because he was grounded. He wasn't sure his life could get any worse.

Maybe he should approach his mother about allowing him to at least write music during the last week. Oh, he'd been writing down lyrics, but it wasn't the same as being able to put music to it. He had so many ideas running through his head. It kept him up some nights. He'd been tempted to sneak out into the garage and write in the middle of the night, but he'd been afraid of what his mother would do if she found out.

He and his mom had given each other a wide berth over the last week. They only spoke to each other when forced to. He hated it. He actually found himself missing their conversations, infrequent as they had been. He'd always been closer to his father and he'd been so wound up in his grief since he'd died that he hadn't thought of opening up to his mom.

How was she dealing with all of this? Did he really know? She looked like she'd gotten over it pretty quickly, but then maybe she was just better at hiding it. Was she being strong for her kids? Had she already worked through her feelings? Or, was she really dying inside a little more every day like he was?

His thoughts refused to let him sleep and sleep was the only activity that he'd enjoyed over the last week. Man this sucked.

He threw back the covers on his bed, grabbed his robe and headed toward his mother's bedroom. If there was light under the door, he was going to do his best to talk her into letting him at least grab one of his guitars. He'd stay in his room, but he needed some type of creative outlet and homework was not doing it for him.

He paused outside her door when he saw the light. Could he do this?

He almost chickened out but then forced himself to knock lightly on the door. He waited what seemed like too long before he heard a soft, 'come in'.

He pushed reluctantly through the door.

"Mom? Can we talk?" Keith asked and then got a better look at her as he walked further in. She'd been crying.

"Sure, honey. Come on over." She patted the bed beside her as she surreptitiously shoved the tissue under her pillow. She only allowed herself to cry every now and then and only in her room. Tonight was one of the nights she'd not been able to hold back the tears. The stress of her relationship with Keith was wearing her down and she was very close to telling him his grounding was over. Instead, she'd allowed herself a small crying jag hoping that would help her feel better. As she'd expected, all it had done was give her a headache.

But now Keith was here and he wanted to talk. Maybe her little chat with Dan had helped to bring this opportunity to her door. She threw a quick prayer heavenward that this night might hold the key to their locked communication lines.

"Mom?" Keith started tentatively and sat down on the very edge of the bed. He wasn't able to bring himself to look at her. Shirley was sure he was moments away from bolting.

Shirley threw one more small prayer heavenward and asked for guidance to say the right things. "What is it? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I'm sorry." Keith said quietly.

Shirley almost asked him to repeat it, but decided that he might just take that the wrong way. "I'm sorry too." She said instead.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Keith asked in surprise finally looking at her again.

"I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you. I know that losing your father was probably the hardest on you." Shirley started.

"No, that's not true. Why would it be hardest on me? You're the one who lost so much. Me? I didn't lose nearly as much as you did." Keith looked down again.

"Keith, you and your father were so close. Oh, don't get me wrong, I miss him terribly but I have you and your brothers and sisters. I see him in each of you every single day and it's like a piece of him is still here." Shirley tried explaining.

"Ha, I'm nothing like him." Keith denied being anything like the wonderful man he remembered.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. You look the most like him. You have his smile. You have his sense of humor. His sense of honor." Keith's short burst of laughter told her that he didn't believe what she was saying. "Keith, you look after your brothers and sisters more than even you realize. By pulling them all into your music, you've helped them all heal. You've all grown closer than you were before your father died. You have a common purpose."

"Mom I've been nothing but a thorn in your side since, well, for the last couple of months. You, all you've done is been there for me." Keith admitted.

"I've tried though I don't feel like I've succeeded. Keith, whether you realize it or not, you've been pushing me away. I love you so much. I can't bear this separation between us." Shirley decided to lay it all on the line.

"I don't want to push you away. It just sort of happens. It hurts to talk about it and that's all you've wanted to do. I can't. I just can't talk about it. Not yet." Keith looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Oh, Keith." Shirley reached out and put her hand on his. She felt his impulse to pull away and then his decision to turn his hand over and clasp hers. "If talking about Dan hurts too much then don't. Just don't shut me out of every other part of your life. When you're ready, I'll be here."

"I guess I really knew that. I just didn't know how to tell you to back off. The only way I knew to let you know was to push you away." Keith's grip on her hand tightened. "I don't want to do that anymore."

"Oh, honey, I am so glad to hear that." Shirley's eyes glistened with tears again though these were happy tears. She leaned forward and pulled him into a hug. He immediately returned it which was also heartening. Earlier he would have hesitated before returning her affection.

"Mom?" Keith started tentatively. They were talking, but was now the time to ask her for a favor?

"What is it?" Shirley smiled at him as she pulled away.

"You know I'll be going for my license in a little while." Keith danced around the real subject.

"Yes, I know. You're growing up way too fast." Shirley grinned and was surprised by an answering grin from her usually sullen son.

"Not fast enough for me." Keith joked then grabbed his resolve to get this out. "Danny and I and even Laurie have been talking about making a recording. We don't have enough equipment to do it."

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry, but there's no extra cash right now for any kind of equipment." Shirley said quickly not wanting him to get his hopes up. She momentarily thought about asking her parents for some financial help, but she'd struggled to maintain her independence and she hated to go to them with hat in hand.

"Oh, I know that. It's just that I had this idea." Keith watched her nod, wordlessly asking him to continue. "And, well, I'm assuming that the Chevy is mine to do with what I want, right?"

"Yes, your father and I were planning on giving it to you when you got your license." Shirley agreed.

"Well, I was thinking that I'd like to sell it." Keith blurted out.

"What? But, you love that car. You and your father put so much work into it." Shirley said in surprise.

"We could use the money to buy the equipment we need." Keith's grip on her hand tightened even further though he wasn't aware of it. She could feel how much this meant to him in his grip. He was afraid she would deny him his request.

"If you're sure." She said and watched a surprised look come over his face.

"Really? You'd let me sell it?" Keith was so sure she'd refuse to let him.

"Keith, if you're sure; I mean really sure then I'll support your decision." Shirley wanted him to think long and hard on this one. It was such a big part of him and his father.

"Mom, dad knew how much my music meant to me. We talked about it all the time. I think he'd approve, don't you?" He was asking for her reassurance.

"Yes, honey, I think he would have." Shirley knew fresh tears were coursing down her face. She wished her son didn't have to choose between one or the other. She wished he could have both.

"One other thing." Keith decided that things were going so well, he'd try for his last request. "Can I at least have a guitar for the last week of my grounding?"

Shirley frowned at this latest development, but she hated to ruin their current progress.

Keith noticed her hesitation and added quickly, "I'm just so bored. And I have so many ideas running through my head. They won't let me sleep."

"Well, in order to allow you to get some sleep, I guess we could make that one concession. But not until tomorrow night. It's late. Try to get some sleep anyway, hmmm?" Shirley conceded graciously.

"I'll try. Thanks mom." Keith impulsively leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. It was to become a frequent occurrence from that time forward; this impulsive show of affection from Keith.

xoxo

Beth was sitting in Barbara's dorm room. Her roommate had gone home for the weekend and Barbara was picking up some lunch for the two of them then they were supposed to settle in for a long chat. Beth got up to nervously pace the room. She was pretty sure Barbara was going to give her a whole lot of crap for how her conversation with Keith ended up.

She jumped when Barbara came bounding through the door. Oh, why did she have so much energy? Beth felt tired and for some reason she felt fat though she knew she wasn't showing yet.

"Oh, you surprised me." Beth put her hand over her heart.

"Sorry. I thought you heard me coming. I was yelling to my dorm mates as I got closer to the door." Barbara frowned.

"Must have been involved in my own thoughts." Beth reasoned.

"Must have. So, what do you want turkey or turkey?" Barbara held up the wrapped sandwiches.

"Hmmm….I'll go with the turkey." Beth grinned at her sister's silliness.

"Good choice." Barbara said as she tossed one of the sandwiches over. "Come on let's sit on Cindy's bed. Don't want to get crumbs on mine."

"You are such an evil roomy." Beth laughed. She felt like she hadn't done that in a while.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway. Besides, we haven't roomed together in about 10 years. Remember the turf wars we used to have. You know, the tape down the middle of the room and the whole bit." Barbara reminisced.

"Do I – you were the evil older sister in my diary almost every other night." Beth felt the smile start to slide from her face. "Boy, do I miss you right now."

"Alright, I know you didn't show up here to eat this great cafeteria food. I'm guessing you want to tell me how the conversation with Keith went." Barbara bit into her sandwich and waited.

Beth had just been about to take a bite when her sister's comment stopped her cold. She dropped the sandwich back onto the cellophane and fought the tears that were always just under the surface.

Barbara watched her sister's face crumble and she dropped her sandwich too. She moved both sandwiches to the desk just behind her, slid over and pulled her sister into her arms. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

The show of sympathy brought on the full brunt of Beth's waterworks. By the time she was in full swing, she was sobbing so hard she had given herself the hiccups. Barbara was almost beside herself trying to calm her. She jumped up to grab a glass of water and told her to drink it all up. She hoped it would take care of the hiccups as well as force her sister to get her crying jag under control.

It took care of the hiccups, but huge tears still rolled down her face. "Sorry, I never know when the urge to cry will pop up. At least here I feel like I can cry without someone asking a ton of questions."

"Well, I do have my share of questions." Barbara joked. "But, I can wait a few minutes for you to pull yourself together."

"Gee thanks." Beth smiled back as she grabbed the wad of tissues from her sister.

While Beth blew her nose, Barbara answered, "Hey, what are big sisters for?"

"So, you asked how my conversation with Keith went. My answer would have to be – depends on who you ask." Beth threw her sister a guilty smile.

"Oh, for crying out loud, you didn't." Barbara once again guessed exactly what happened.

"We did." Beth admitted and felt another round of tears roll down her cheeks.

"How? Why?' Barbara sputtered as she handed her sister another wad of tissues.

"Well, we started talking somewhere public and one of my stupid friends came up and made a scene. She accused me of babysitting Keith. That didn't sit so well with Keith and he was about to leave without us even having a chance to talk. I had to make sure we wouldn't be interrupted." Beth explained.

"Oh? And, just where would you have taken him?" Barbara thought she knew but felt she had to ask.

"Muldoon's Point." Beth felt herself blushing while she said it. It sounded silly when she said it out loud. What had she expected to happen?

"You are an…."

Beth didn't let her sister finish. "I know, I know. But it was all I could think of. I mean, who interrupts anyone up at Muldoon's Point?"

"Alright, I'll give you that one. So, how did a conversation at Muldoon's Point turn into slap and tickle." Barbara had such an odd assortment of phrases that never failed to bring a smile to Beth's face. She was sure Barbara used them for just that effect. At least she no longer felt like crying.

"Well, I started crying much like today and Keith was comforting me." Beth related.

"What? The little creep used your closeness to make a move on you? While you were crying?" Barbara finally guessed wrong.

"No, nothing like that. Keith would never do that." Beth defended him.

"Oh, then what happened?" Barbara felt like she was pulling teeth.

"He did kiss me first, but it was a comforting kiss not a 'make your move' kinda kiss. We were just looking at each other and grinning. He has the cutest grin." Beth looked up to see Barbara roll her eyes at that comment. "I can't help it, he does. It does things to me. It makes my stomach turn over."

"Bad tuna fish will do that too." Barbara interjected wryly.

"Barbara, be serious. I'm trying to tell you why I do what I do around him." Beth frowned at her sister.

"Fine. Go on." Barbara watched her sister as patiently as she could.

"You've ruined the mood. You had to be there. He was so sweet and so cute and he was being so nice." Beth smiled at her memories.

"He sounds too good to be true." Barbara pointed out.

"Well, that's just Keith. Maybe he's not that way with everyone, but with me he's always been like the most perfect boyfriend material possible. Of course, when I compare him to Greg, he's almost too perfect." Beth realized that might be one of her problems. She had no good comparison. Keith was head and shoulders above Greg in every possible way. "Barbara, am I giving Keith qualities he doesn't actually have?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Barbara didn't want to ruin Beth's reality. Maybe Keith was this paragon of virtue she was describing. However, she had to believe he had faults. It just so happened that Beth's interaction with Keith had never brought them out.

"You're a big help." Barbara just grinned at her sister and waved her on.

"Alright, well, maybe I should explain something else first. Dad had borrowed mom's car to pick up some wood to fix the fence in the back yard. He had put the seat down and I had no idea how to put it up. Not that I really thought about that. Anyway, after I started kissing Keith, he took the lead and I blindly followed him. Barbara, how does someone that young get to be such a good kisser? He shouldn't be that good. Greg was so wet and sloppy. Keith is so soft and deep and, well, I guess his kisses are wet too, but in a much better way. Know what I mean?"

"Unfortunately I do." Barbara admitted. She'd had her share of bad kissing partners but also some very good kissing partners. "Are you planning on giving me a blow by blow or glossing over the ummmm….good parts?"

"Oh, fine. We ended up in the back of the station wagon doing the 'slap and tickle' as you so crudely called it before. When we were done, we realized how late it was and he was already late for his curfew. Then there was an accident on the way home and we had to go around it to get back to town. There was just no time." Beth bit her lip before continuing. "Then I did what I always do. I ignored him at school. Oh, he must hate me."

"Beth, I thought the last time we talked you had discovered that you had feelings for him. Why do you keep giving him the cold shoulder?" Barbara was confused by Beth's actions.

"Because I'm so confused. When we're together it's so great. The next day at school, he's with his friends and I'm with mine. They'll never mesh. And not only that, but I usually catch Brenda watching him and mooning over every move he makes. I just can't bring myself to hurt her." Beth tried to explain.

"How do you know that Brenda watches Keith all the time?" Barbara needed Beth to realize something and she hoped her question would work.

Beth's frown turned into a rueful smile. "Because I'm always watching Keith. I'm just a little more subtle about it. He told me he was over me and was going to start dating again. I had to know who he was going to start seeing. Didn't I? I mean she's going to be my competition. But then he never asked anyone out and I figured he had just told me that to make me jealous. Then I find out from Brenda that Laurie told her he was grounded for missing curfew, which was all my fault, remember. Anyway, I felt so guilty that I stayed away."

"Beth, do you really care all that much what your friends at school think of you? Dating someone younger, I mean." Barbara had to know if her sister was that shallow. Peer pressure could be a pretty strong influence in high school. Barbara remembered being very influenced by her friends back then. College had helped to mature her feelings on the subject, but it was hard to get that perspective while you were still in high school.

"Yes, no, sometimes. Oh, I wish it weren't true, but I guess I do care what everyone thinks about me. Why…." Her sentence was halted by a sharp pain. She paused to let it pass.

"What's wrong?" Barbara asked.

"Nothing." Beth said as the moment passed. "It was just a pain. Oh, no. I need to go to the bathroom."

"What is it?" Barbara saw a look of panic pass over Beth's face.

"I think I'm bleeding." Beth said as the fear washed over her.

"Come on. Let's go." Barbara helped Beth up and led her into the hall and down to the bathroom.

Beth went into a stall and closed the door. Barbara paced outside the stall and waited for her sister to tell her something. Anything.

After a while, she heard the flush of water and a pale Beth finally emerged.

"Well?" Barbara asked quietly and watched her sister dissolve into tears for the second time that afternoon.

Through her sobs, Beth finally told her that she thought she'd had a miscarriage.

"Oh, no. Beth, I'm sorry." Barbara wasn't sure if that was true or not. A miscarriage may have been the best thing that could have happened. Beth didn't have to worry about telling Keith about it. She didn't have to worry about what that meant for her going to college. She didn't have to worry about what their parents would say because she'd have had to tell them pretty soon. So she finally said, "Maybe this was for the best."

"Oh, God forgive me, but that's what I was thinking too. Does that make me a bad person?" Beth begged her sister to assure her that she wasn't pure evil for that thought.

"No, Beth. It doesn't. It means you're human." Barbara was grateful that through all of this no one had come into the bathroom. Most of the girls must be home for the weekend. "Come on, I think maybe we should take you to the campus nurse. A quick check-up would probably be smart, don't you think?"

"Won't they have to call mom and dad?" Beth worried.

"Not if we tell them you're me. I'm 21. I'm an adult. They don't have to notify anyone. Just don't let them get a good look at my student ID. We look close enough except for the eye color." Barbara suggested and then sent an urgent prayer request that her plan worked.

Beth followed Barbara blindly. She still had a little pain in her abdomen, but the pain in her heart was starting to hurt much worse. She felt terribly guilty that one of her first thoughts had been thankfulness that she wouldn't have to carry the baby to term. She wouldn't have to tell Keith. She was free to live the rest of her life.

She started to think that she was evil personified. She was an awful person. She hadn't wished for a miscarriage, in fact, it hadn't crossed her mind. But she'd been so grateful when she suspected that she'd miscarried.

Beth cried again when the nurse practitioner confirmed her worst fears and her greatest hope. She had miscarried. She was no longer carrying Keith's baby. Her body had killed it. Maybe in her subconscious she'd wished it dead and now it was.

She'd killed her baby. Hers and Keith's baby was no more.

The nurse left Barbara and Beth alone in the exam room as Barbara did her best to console her heartbroken sister. The nurse had handed Barbara some pamphlets on dealing with miscarriage. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence but was often as devastating as losing a baby carried to term. The mother's often feel like it was somehow their fault. The nurse had even told Barbara that if she needed it, there were grief counseling groups for women who had miscarried.

Barbara hoped it didn't come to that, but she was there for her sister no matter what.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Within weeks of finishing his grounding sentence, Keith had sold the car and bought most of the equipment they needed to make a recording. Danny had finagled the use of recording equipment from the school and after many discussions and arguments, they'd even decided to bring in another voice. They needed a strong soprano as Laurie was a better alto. She could hit the high notes, but it was a strain on her natural voice. Danny picked Gloria Steinberg because he'd seen her sing a solo in the girl's choir. Her voice wasn't the greatest, but he'd said she 'had a body that won't quit'. Of course, he'd sent Keith to talk her into singing with them. Gloria had tried to use Keith's need of a soprano voice into forcing him into a date. He'd considered it for about a half a second because, after all, Danny had been right. She had a body that could bring grown men to their knees. But Keith had already learned that looks weren't everything and he didn't want to mix business with pleasure. She finally agreed to sing with them anyway in the hopes that in spending time with Keith, she could eventually talk him into going steady.

They'd set up the recording date for Friday night. Everything was going beautifully. They were in the garage warming up and waiting for Gloria to show up when it all fell apart. Well, at least they thought it did at first.

Shirley had come in to tell them that Gloria had the mumps and wouldn't be able to sing with them. Chris suggested that they let mom sing Gloria's part and the rest is, as they say, 'history'. She was fantastic!

Danny took it from there. Three days later, he found out that a record promoter was in town and he took Tracy with him to make sure the man got to hear the 'best new group' to come along in ages – or so Danny said. After brazen frontal attacks and devious sneak attacks, Danny finally got Reuben Kincaid to listen, really listen, to their song and he offered to sign them to a contract.

Danny surprised his mom at work with the contract, and because the line was long and she had no time to argue with him, she signed it without really looking at it. As soon as he was gone, she worried momentarily about what had looked like an official document and wondered briefly what she had just done. However, the solid wave of customers that demanded her attention pulled her mind away from it quickly. As she heard nothing much about it that night at home, she soon forgot about it and assumed it was just another of Danny's 'get rich quick' schemes.

Several weeks went by. Keith celebrated his sixteenth birthday and got his license the very same day. He was now the proud owner of the ability to drive and no vehicle in which to do so. He suffered a short bout of sadness for the loss of his car, but Danny's continued updates on their future career in the music industry kept those feelings at bay most of the time. While the Partridge siblings all kept abreast of what Mr. Kincaid was doing to try to make them 'stars', Shirley continued to juggle way too many balls like most single parents must do. She spent her days working hard and her nights working even harder to keep her family clean, clothed, fed and happy. Oh, they all pitched in, but there were still a million and one things to do every single day.

She was shocked to hear her own and her kid's voices on a transistor radio hanging from a stranger's shoulder when she was walking to her car after work one day. She came flying into the house yelling "Danny!"

"He's in the living room. What's wrong mom?" Laurie asked as she pushed the roast back in the oven after checking it.

"Did you know that they're playing our song on the radio?" Shirley said in shock.

"Yeah, they have been for a couple of days now. Danny says not to get too excited just yet as there aren't that many of them that have picked it up. But it has a good 'Q' rating, whatever that is. He's on the phone with Mr. Kincaid right now." Laurie waved a meat thermometer in the general direction of the living room.

"Who's Mr. Kincaid?" Shirley just had to ask even though Laurie's mention of Q ratings and radio stations had put her deeper into a fog of disbelief.

"He's the manger that Danny had you sign a contract with a few weeks ago." Laurie reminded her and watched her mother's dazed look take on a look of anger.

Shirley pushed through the swinging door to find her middle son hanging up the phone with a big grin on his face. Keith was sitting on the edge of the couch arm and grinning back. "Well?" Keith asked.

"He's coming over tonight to talk about a tour." Danny announced proudly.

"Far out!" Keith high fived his younger brother and turned to find his mother standing there with an angry look on her face and her hands on her hips. He immediately assumed it was something he'd done, but couldn't think of anything recently that should have made her angry. He quickly realized that she was looking past him at Danny and sighed in relief.

"Mom, you'll never guess. Mr. Kincaid says our record is quickly becoming a national hit. Well, maybe not a hit exactly, but there's enough interest that he wants us to start touring to support the album." Danny beamed.

Shirley's anger melted into confusion and shock. "Did you say tour? Album?"

"Yeah, isn't it neat?!?!" Danny couldn't contain his excitement.

"You all have some major explaining to do. But, let's talk about this at dinner." Shirley quickly decided that she needed some time to absorb everything she'd been bombarded with since walking in the door. "I'm going to go and change. Then, after we all sit down to a nice dinner that your sister has lovingly prepared, we are going to talk."

xoxo

After much discussion and a concerted and combined effort from her children, they had talked her into touring for the summer in support of an album that Mr. Kincaid suggested they record. They would tour for the first two and a half months of the summer and then go into the recording studio to put an album in the hands of their newly made fans.

The whole idea was terrifying to Shirley. Her kids, on the other hand, were ecstatic.

An hour after dinner, the front doorbell rang and Danny tore from the kitchen to the door in record time. He opened the door just as quickly, without asking who it was, and was greeted by the harried face of Mr. Kincaid.

"Hey, kid, do I finally get to meet your mysterious mother?" Reuben straightened his tie as he watched a family grow behind the smiling face of the young 'Clarence Darrow' in the making.

"Mr. Kincaid, meet my mother, Shirley Partridge. The most beautiful mother of five in the whole world with the voice of an angel besides." Danny dramatically swept his arm out and pointed at the uncomfortable and still floundering woman he'd just described.

Reuben glanced at the pretty blond woman who didn't look a day over thirty and couldn't help but agree with the first part of Danny's description. He had yet to hear her speak or sing, so he would hold off on the last part. "Hello, it's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Partridge."

"You too, Mr. Kincaid and please, call me Shirley." Shirley smiled at the man who was nothing like she'd pictured in her mind. She'd pictured this smarmy, slick, beady-eyed man who'd taken advantage of her middle son to get a contract signed in order to take advantage of her talented children. Instead, here was an earnest, if not nervous, looking man who appeared quite sincere.

"In that case, Shirley, please call me Reuben." Reuben grabbed Shirley's proffered hand and shook it firmly.

"Well then, Reuben, let's sit down and talk." Danny grabbed Reuben's coat sleeve and tried to lead him toward the living room couch.

"That's Mr. Kincaid to you." Both Shirley and Reuben corrected him in unison. Danny looked at them in awe. They hardly knew each other yet they were correcting his manners in unison.

Danny shook his head as Shirley motioned Reuben toward the couch that Danny had intended on leading him to and had him take a seat. "Would you like some coffee?" She offered.

"That sounds great. Just a little cream." Reuben agreed with a smile.

"So, kid, where's this prolific song writer you were telling me about?" Reuben glanced around at the teenagers and younger group of kids surrounding him. None of them looked old enough to drive much less write hit music.

"That's him right there; my brother Keith." Danny said as he motioned Keith's way. Keith had been watching Reuben closely, but staying quiet, trying to get the measure of the man. So far he seemed too nervous to be much of a manager.

"Him?" Reuben said in shock. "He looks all of fourteen or fifteen."

"He's sixteen and what does age have to do with anything?" Laurie came to her brother's defense as soon as she'd felt him stiffen at the comment that had been taken as a slur.

"No offense, young lady, but most good song writers are quite a bit older." Reuben remarked.

"Yeah, well, age has nothing to do with human suffering." Keith said quietly and continued to glare at the even more uncomfortable man.

Reuben swallowed heavily as he remembered that Danny had told him that their father had passed away just over 6 months earlier. The kid was right – age didn't have anything to do with how much pain a person had suffered through. Sometimes the very young had suffered more than people two and three times their age.

"My mistake." Reuben quickly answered not wanting to offend anyone in this new group he would be managing. He still wanted to spend some serious time with the young man and knew that he would need to become friends with him – earn his trust – in order for them to work together. He had all kinds of ideas he needed to share with the song writer of the group.

"Here you go, Reuben." Shirley finally came back into the room with a tray that included two cups and a pot of coffee. A small pot of creamer had been included.

Reuben waited patiently to be handed his cup and took an appreciative sip of the flavorful and hot liquid before even attempting to continue the conversation. He needed Shirley's full attention and he wouldn't have it while she was playing hostess.

"So, Mrs. Partridge…" At Shirley's soft smile Reuben corrected himself "….Shirley, has Danny filled you in on any of our conversations?"

They talked about the length of the 'set' of music they would need to have ready for a concert tour and the fact that they would need to find transportation in order to get to their new club dates. He informed them that he was 'this close' to closing a deal with Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. That comment had garnered great enthusiasm from the raptly listening kids. Keith, Laurie and Danny were well aware of Las Vegas and the prestige that was garnered from performing at one of the premier hotels in that entertainment hot spot. Chris and Tracy just went along with their older siblings.

Shirley felt something well up inside herself too. However, it wasn't enthusiasm or excitement. It had the unmistakable earmarks of something closing to fear or terror. She did her best to hide it from her kids who had more than enough excitement to cover for her lack of it.

As the conversation continued for more than two hours, Shirley glanced at the clock and realized it was past the youngest kid's bed times.

"Laurie, can you please put Chris and Tracy to bed for me while Reuben, Keith and I continue talking?" Shirley asked.

"Hey, what about me? I'm contributing to this conversation too." Danny reminded her.

"Yes, sorry, honey. We'd just started talking about the musical side of it which is more Keith's area. I didn't mean to leave you out." Shirley smiled patiently at Danny.

Danny harrumphed, but seemed to be appeased by her apology. Shirley watched Laurie reluctantly lead Chris and Tracy away and promised to make her chore the fastest in history. She wanted to hear everything they talked about too.

"So, just how many songs do you have written at this point?" Reuben turned to Keith to ask.

"I guess about a half a dozen or so." Keith thought about several more that weren't too far from being complete and some that he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to record. Like the song 'Only a Moment Ago' that he'd written about his father's death.

"Are they all like the one that's getting play right now?" Reuben spoke in manger speak and was about to correct himself when Keith answered without being told what he'd meant.

"Some are; others aren't." Keith said vaguely. "Why, what are you looking for?"

"Well, the group idea is great and all, but….." Reuben trailed off.

"But?" Keith asked and saw his mother raise her eyebrow as if silently asking the question herself.

"Well, realistically, commercially, the group needs a lead singer." Reuben's opinion of Keith had grown exponentially since he'd walked through the front door just over two hours ago. The kid had talent and, after seeing him, he also had the look. The question was, did he have the charisma?

"Oh." Keith said quietly and looked down. He'd been a little afraid of this. Was he ready to sing lead? He knew he was the natural choice. Not many rock groups had lead singers with his mother's beautiful soprano voice. No, Keith was the obvious choice and he knew it.

"Can I hear a few more songs?" Reuben thought that maybe he'd get a feel for Keith's abilities if he could just get him to sing a song or two by himself.

"Chris and Tracy just went to bed." Keith reminded him. "We just lost our drummer."

"Right." Reuben had known that and had almost instinctively waited for that to happen. He wanted to hear Keith perform, not the family. "Maybe you could just sing a song or two for me with just your guitar."

"Come on Keith. You've done it before. Laurie told me so." Danny urged. He did not want to blow this deal because Keith was getting all self-conscious on them.

Keith glared at Danny but knew that he didn't want to blow this deal either. "I'll just have to go into the garage and get my guitar." Keith said while still glaring at Danny.

Danny just smiled smugly as Keith walked out of the room.

"He'll be ok to do this, right?" Reuben asked Shirley a little nervous that if Keith couldn't pull off being the lead singer of the band that this family's career could be very short lived. They'd be a one hit wonder at best.

"I don't know. He has a wonderful singing voice. I just don't know how confident he is about it yet. He's so young, Reuben. I hate to force him to do something he's not completely comfortable with." Shirley frowned at the still swinging kitchen door that had closed behind her eldest.

"You do know that…" Reuben left the rest unsaid.

"Of course we do." Danny's comment brought both adults attention to him. They'd almost forgotten he was still there. "Mr. Kincaid hasn't actually said it, but I know what he's thinking. We need a lead singer and Keith is the obvious choice. Not that mom wouldn't make a great choice. She's sexy enough for it."

"Danny!" Shirley said in shock and embarrassment.

"Well, you are. It's just that a rock band will have a younger audience and Keith is in the right age group to relate to our audience. Right, Mr. Kincaid?" Danny looked to Reuben to back up his theory on how to form a successful rock group.

"Right, kid." Reuben said absently as he looked at the ten year old who talked like someone four times older than him. It was unnatural to hear such business acumen coming out of such a small kid.

"He's also got the talent, but don't tell him I said that. He'll get a big head." Danny grinned.

Shirley was just about to tell Danny not to talk about his brother like that behind his back when Keith came back into the living room with his guitar in hand. He sat back down in the chair he'd recently vacated and set the guitar on his lap. He spent a few minutes tuning it to make sure he wouldn't accidentally hit a bad note and throw himself off.

"So, what do you want to hear?" Keith asked nervously.

"What've you got?" Reuben's forehead raised in confusion. He thought Keith knew he wanted to hear something he'd written himself.

"Alright, here goes." Keith said and started strumming his guitar. He soon began to sing 'Singing My Song' quietly. When he glanced up and noticed his mother's surprised and pleased smile, he gained some confidence and began to sing a little louder.

When he brought the song to a close, Reuben too was impressed. But, it was only one song. "That was good."

"Good?" Danny knew Keith would need more than that to build his confidence. "That was outasight!"

"Alright, it was better than good, but I'd like to hear more. What else?" Reuben smiled at Keith to show his appreciation of what he'd just heard.

Keith just nodded and started another song. This one knocked Reuben for a loop. This new song he was singing did have 'million seller' written all over it. Reuben could feel the smile build on his face as Keith brought 'I Think I Love You' to a close.

"That was brilliant!" Reuben couldn't hide his enthusiasm. "When did you write that one?"

"I don't know, about a month ago I guess." Keith frowned. Why did it matter when he'd written it?

Reuben made Keith play him several more songs and he was excited at the young man's voice and song writing talent. His bosses were going to be very excited when he brought this latest development to their door.

Reuben was already making plans to move himself closer to the group he now figured was going to play a major roll in his management future. He just hoped he could hide his excitement from Danny Partridge. He did not need the kid thinking he could out maneuver him on future deals and management issues.

"You'll have to come back to hear some of Keith's more rockin' songs." Danny was saying when Reuben came back from planning their futures in his head. "He's got 'I Can Feel Your Heartbeat' and 'Brand New Me'. They both need the drums and bass to sound really great. But they are. Great, that is."

"Yeah, kid, I'm sure they are." Reuben said vaguely.

Reuben's sudden lack of enthusiasm turned Keith's tentative smile into a frown. He'd thought Reuben had been enjoying what he was hearing. His face had taken on a thoughtful yet eager look but right now it was blank and his almost total lack of response to Danny's last comment left Keith feeling like his song writing lacked something that their new manager thought was missing.

"Mr. Kincaid…." Keith started tentatively.

"Reuben, kid. You and I will be working pretty closely together for quite some time. You should call me Reuben. It makes more sense if you call me Reuben rather than Mr. Kincaid, don't you think?" Reuben smiled at Keith.

"Hey, why does he get to call you Reuben, when I have to call you Mr. Kincaid?" Danny jumped up from his perch on the couch. He hoped his new height would make him seem more important.

"Because, Danny, it's a show of respect. Besides, Reuben and Keith will be working very closely together while we're recording and performing." Shirley knew her explanation wasn't the best, but it would have to suffice. "Now, it's past your bedtime too, young man. Off you go."

"Oh, so soon?" Reuben couldn't help but throw the question at the departing young tycoon's back. "See you next time, kid."

Laurie passed Danny on the stairs and whispered, "What'd I miss?"

"You missed Keith impressing the pants off Mr. Kincaid. I could see the dollar signs floating above his head when Keith played some of his songs. Laurie, we are about to become superstars!" Danny grinned at her as he paused at the turn in the landing.

"Groovy!" Laurie grinned back. "Which songs did Keith play? I could hear him playing but couldn't quite make it out while I was reading to Tracy."

Danny gave Laurie the fastest blow by blow possible as his mother had just noticed that he was still on the stairs. 'Daniel Partridge' floated up to them.

"Ok, I've filled you in on what happened while you were gone; you'll do the same for me in the morning?" Danny begged as he began to back up the stairs.

"Deal." Laurie said as she continued on down the stairs.

Reuben stayed for a couple more hours while they talked more in depth about how they were going to get around as a performing group. They knew they couldn't fit all of their equipment into the family station wagon and renting a truck would get expensive.

"What about a bus?" Laurie suggested.

"That's fine, but who'd drive it?" Shirley asked.

"I could." Keith offered.

"No, honey. You're too young to be driving a big heavy bus all over the country. You just got your license. I won't allow it." Shirley reminded him.

"Well, we have to come up with something." Reuben brought them back to reality. "The record company won't spring for much until you have a bona fide hit. Though I think some of Keith's songs have potential, they aren't likely to invest much until you've proven yourselves."

"I guess I'll have to learn to drive something a little bigger than our wagon." Shirley offered.

xoxo

The next weekend Keith, Danny and Shirley went to Al's used car lot because Danny had spied the perfect vehicle for their needs and, if he could negotiate the price down, it would also fit their budget.

Keith looked it over to be sure it was mechanically sound and then Danny took over. Shirley and Keith looked on silently while Danny drove Al crazy with his superior negotiating skills. They both fought to hide grins while Danny turned the used car lot owner's complexion a florid red. No matter what he said, Danny hung tough and before long, Shirley was signing the papers and the check.

Keith drove the bus home while Shirley drove behind and fretted that he'd have problems. He pulled it effortlessly to the curb and then after much discussion, backed it into the driveway so that they could paint it.

Before she knew it, Shirley was at the hardware store buying several different bright colors of paint. Laurie had come up with a funky design to paint the bus and they all put on their oldest clothes and set to work. Before long, they were painting each other more than the old bus, but they had a blast. It ended up looking terrific if she did say so herself.

Keith had suggested the sign on the back of the bus that said 'careful nervous mother driving' while he explained the different pedals, gear shifts and levers to his mother. At first she seemed overwhelmed, but after a short time he finally suggested that she just try it.

She did, and after several unsuccessful attempts to get the behemoth moving forward they finally began to jerk forward slowly. Keith made her drive all over San Pueblo. He made her stop on hills and back up in parking lots. Before long, she was a pro.

Two hours after they'd left the house, Shirley and Keith pulled up in front of the house to the rest of the waiting kids with triumphant smiles on their faces.

The transportation problem had been dealt with. Now they just had to practice their butts off in preparation of their opening date at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas the week after school let out.

Their professional lives were about to begin. But, before that could happen, one last major happening was to take place in Keith's life.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

It was the last week of school. All the kids were focused on final exams. Not a one of them wanted to fail a test and have to go to summer school. That was unthinkable. They'd be sabotaging the family's success before it even got off the ground.

There was a little bit of a buzz around school about the potential new careers of Keith and Laurie. Some of the kids who weren't friends with them were considering approaching them and hoping to get to know them before they became famous. After all, once they were famous, they didn't stand a shot at becoming their friends, right?

But, Keith and Laurie were so nonchalant about the whole thing, that most of the kids eventually just let it blow over.

Brenda was only too happy to hear that many of the girls who'd considered approaching Keith hoping to be able to say they'd dated him before he became famous or who might have thought about being his girlfriend 'while' he was famous had mostly been shot down. Keith had no time to date right now. The family was spending every available minute practicing and when the youngest kids were finally sent to bed, Keith spent several more hours in the garage writing more songs.

Reuben had finally moved himself, lock, stock and barrel to California. He spent many long hours with Keith giving him pointers on what would work and what wouldn't work. However, when it came right down to it, Keith was the songwriter and what he decided on was the final decision. Reuben was just there to either gently guide or subtly nudge – more than that he couldn't do.

Beth watched it all with sadness, gladness, pain and wonder. Her somewhat shy, almost boyfriend of several months before, was blossoming into a much more confident young man. He talked freely with the girls who approached him but never once had time to ask one of them out.

She'd caught him watching her with a thoughtful look on his face once and wondered what he was thinking. She'd have been surprised to know that he was wondering why she looked so sad. She thought she'd done a pretty good job of hiding her sadness. She'd told her family that she wasn't feeling well when she'd gotten home from visiting Barbara and having her miscarriage. Her pale face had convinced her family that she wasn't lying. She'd had a hard time talking her mother out of taking her to the doctor and thus had had to force herself to go back to school before she'd wanted to. She'd have loved to hide away for the rest of the school year.

Seeing Keith was almost painful. He was still the same cute boy that had turned her and her sister's heads. He still had the most contagious smile she'd ever seen. In fact, while she'd watched him the last weeks, she'd found herself smiling when he smiled. If he noticed her watching him, he'd ignored her. She guessed turnabout was fair play. He'd warned her that he was over her and now she finally had to admit that he was. She cried herself to sleep the night she'd admitted that to herself but then had given herself a pep talk the next morning just to get her through the last few weeks of school. Once the summer started, she would be joining her sister hundreds of miles away from San Pueblo. She was both excited and depressed at the thought.

She was wandering the school halls fifteen minutes after the final bell had rung. As per the normal, the school had emptied quickly as the kids were all happy to be done with another day. She picked up her pace wanting to get home herself. Two days to go. She could make it. Then, what she had dreaded happened. She bumped headlong into Keith when she came around the corner.

"Oh, ummmm, hi." She mumbled as soon as she recognized him.

"Hi yourself." Keith grinned at her. She was so pretty she just automatically made him smile.

"What are you doing here?" She could feel her face starting to smile in answer. Just moments before she'd been down in the dumps thinking about everything she'd been through and now here she was smiling goofily.

"I go to school here." Keith reminded her. "What are you doing here?"

"Ha, ha. I mean, what are you STILL doing here? Everyone else is gone." Beth reminded him.

"You're not." Keith pointed out helpfully.

"No, I had to pick up my cap and gown for graduation. I missed the pick up at lunch because I was helping Mrs. Williams with a project." Beth explained.

"Ah, are you getting excited?" Keith asked.

"About what?" Beth had been so busy watching his smiling mouth that she'd become a little distracted.

"Graduating." Keith frowned at her.

"Oh, yes, of course. Yeah, I'm definitely excited." She said with less enthusiasm than her words would have led him to believe.

"I can see that." Keith said and was surprised when Beth threw down the items she'd been carrying and put her hands behind Keith's head pulling him down for a kiss.

It was completely unexpected; by both of them. Beth had no idea she was planning on doing it and Keith was even more surprised. Not that he didn't recover quickly and return the kiss. He was human, after all.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that." Beth suddenly jumped back and put her hand over her mouth.

"I'm not. Sorry that is. You can do that any time you like." Keith grinned at her.

"Oh, you don't understand. It shouldn't have happened. It can't happen again. It just can't." Beth said and ran to the nearest door pushing her way through. Lucky for her it was the women's bathroom.

Keith stood there stunned. What had he done? She'd initiated the kiss – again. They hadn't even kissed that long. What was the big deal? He glanced around to confirm that no one had seen them. Or, at least if they had, they weren't around any longer.

Keith glanced down at the cap and gown laying in a pile on the hallway floor. He picked them up and knocked on the bathroom door. "Beth?"

"Go away!" She wailed from inside.

"Beth, I can't leave until I know you're alright." Keith said and then finally decided to just go in and see if she was alright. There was no one else at school, right?

"Beth." Keith said right behind her as she leaned over one of the sinks fighting the urge to sob her heart out.

She spun around in shock that he was standing right behind her – in the women's bathroom. "You can't be in here."

"Why not? There's no one else in here." Keith looked at her face closely. She was pale and she looked tired. Like she hadn't slept good for quite some time.

"Because, it's the women's bathroom. You're not a woman." Beth was still trying to slow down her heartbeat.

"Glad you noticed." Keith grinned.

"Stop it!" Beth slapped him on his arm.

"What?" Keith frowned his puzzlement.

"Stop flirting with me!" Beth accused.

"I'm not." Keith said at first and then realized he was. "Sorry, guess I was. I'll stop."

"Thank you." Beth said and then motioned him toward the door. "You should go."

"You're sure you're alright?" Keith asked. He wasn't going to leave until he was sure.

"I'm fine." Beth tried to make her answer as confident as possible.

"Alright, well here's the stuff you dropped." Keith handed her the cap and gown and was about to turn and leave when she stopped him by putting her hand on his arm.

"Keith?" She said tentatively.

"Yeah."

"You're really going to record an album with your family?" Beth had been meaning to congratulate him on doing what he had always known he'd wanted to do which was making a living with music.

"Yeah, we are." Keith said proudly. He knew she would understand, so he didn't downplay his excitement like he did with everyone else.

"I'm happy for you. Really." She added for emphasis.

"Thanks." Keith smiled at her again.

"Now get out of here before someone finds you in here." Beth put her best effort into giving him a genuine smile. It must have worked. He seemed satisfied and walked out of the room. She literally felt her face melt from the smile to tears within moments of the door swishing closed. Her hormones had yet to return to normal. The tears were so hard to control. Thank god Keith wasn't around to see her cry her heart out once again.

xoxo

"The only thing in the mail is a letter for Keith." Danny reported as he sat down at the breakfast table the first Saturday after school was over. They would be leaving for their concert tour in four short days.

"Ok, he should be down shortly. We have practice in 15 minutes." Shirley said as she began to dish out oatmeal to her hungry waiting children.

"Ha, we're lucky if he's down by then. He went out to celebrate the end of school with Gordy and Skizzy last night. I'll bet he was late for curfew again." Laurie joked.

"No, he wasn't." Keith said as he walked into the room and took one of the vacant chairs at the table.

"Really? You couldn't come up with anything to keep you out late?" Laurie continued to tease.

"Not that's more important than this concert tour. You?" Keith shot back knowing that Laurie had been at a party the night before too. They just hadn't been at the same one.

"Home well before." Laurie grinned back. They'd all made promises to their mom that they would toe the line and spend every waking moment practicing in preparation for this tour.

"Hey, there's a letter for you. It's from a girl." Danny said as he handed the envelope to Keith.

"How can you tell?" Keith glanced at the letter and frowned. Who did he know that would be writing him a letter?

"The handwriting is girly." Danny announced. "So, who's the girl?"

"No idea." Keith said as he slid his finger under the flap to open it. He started to read it and then stopped suddenly putting it back in the envelope. "May I be excused?"

"Sure, honey. Aren't you hungry?" He just waved at her as he walked back out of the kitchen. Shirley called after him. "Don't forget we have practice in fifteen minutes."

Keith walked back up to his room, closed the door and pulled the letter back out of the envelope. It had been too personal to read in front of everyone. He sat down on the edge of his bed and started to read.

_Dear Keith,_

_I just wanted to tell you that I'm really happy for you. I know how much your music means to you. I know you're going to be a big star someday. And, with this opportunity, that someday won't be too far off. _

_I needed to let you know that we won't be seeing each other again. I'm leaving the Saturday after school to go to L.A. by Barbara. In fact, by the time you read this I'll be gone. I'm getting a job for the summer and won't be coming back home. I wanted to tell you that the other day, in the bathroom, but I just couldn't bring myself to tell you. You seemed very happy and I didn't want my news to bring you down. If it would have that is. _

_You see, I don't know how you feel about me anymore. You told me once before that you were over me and that you'd moved on, but I never did see you dating anyone else. Well, except for a few girls here and there, but only for one date. Anyway, if you are truly over me, that's good news. Because I want you to have a happy and full life going forward._

_You deserve only the best. I was never able to bring myself to tell you the truth about how I felt. I think that what I felt for you was love, but you came into my life at a time when I wasn't sure what that was anymore. I know I shouldn't be bringing this up now that we'll never see each other again. I guess it's selfish of me to want to clear my conscience. Well, actually, there are some things that I'll never tell you. I'm not courageous enough for that. But, I just needed you to know that you were – are very special to me. You helped me through so much. You were the one bright spot in my life for quite a while. _

_But, and you just knew there had to be a but, didn't you? But, you and I both know that we can never be together. I'm not going to blame this on my sister having feelings for you. I lied to myself long enough and used that as an excuse to keep pushing you away. The reality is that I don't have the courage to openly admit my feelings. I'm too scared to let myself love you for reasons that you will never know. _

_I know that you've lost so much already in your life and I can no longer allow myself to continue to bring you any more pain. If I cut myself out of your life once and for all, you can start to forget me and heal. If I keep coming back, we'll keep bringing each other pain._

_Just know that in my own twisted way I loved you. Love you still._

_Always,_

_Beth_

Keith fell backwards on his bed crumpling the letter in his hand. He closed his eyes as a strange pain started in his chest. He wasn't fanciful enough to think it was his heart breaking, but he also knew it wasn't heartburn. He'd skipped breakfast. Was there a physical pain when your heart was breaking?

He ran through everything Beth had written in her letter. He could almost remember it verbatim after only having read it once. Her words were seared into his brain – into his heart.

xoxo

Beth drove in the brand new car her parents had bought her for a graduation present. She had what felt like her whole life packed in the trunk and the back seat. She cried for the first 30 miles as she thought about her letter to Keith. She hoped he never found out about her deepest, darkest secret.

She still wasn't sure if she could forgive herself for being momentarily happy about the miscarriage. She figured that now that she was away from home, she might just join one of the grief counseling groups to help her deal with her feelings. She knew she'd become depressed over the last couple of months. The only thing that brought her any joy was Keith and she knew that all she could bring him was pain, so she'd done the only thing she could do. She'd told him good-bye. She hadn't been strong enough to do it in person. She actually smiled to think of how that would have likely ended. She may very well have ended up pregnant again.

This was for the best. Certainly for her, hopefully for Keith. Within a week, he would perform live in front of a huge audience for the first time. He had his whole future ahead of him. She'd have only brought him down.

An idea struck her just as she noticed the signs declaring the upcoming exit ramp to her sister's apartment. They were going to be roomies for her sister's senior year and Beth's freshman year at UCLA. Maybe Barbara wouldn't mind making a road trip to Las Vegas. She could sit anonymously in the audience and watch Keith become a star.

It was inevitable in her estimation. He was too talented not to become a respected musician and song writer and he was way too good looking not to become a sex symbol.

She would look back and say, 'I knew him when'. Who knew maybe someday they'd meet again and things could be different. A girl could dream.

Right now, all she knew for sure is that her heart was broken. Love – she scoffed at the word that was used to describe a beautiful and mutual feeling between two people. Love was also pain – especially when the feeling wasn't returned or when love was lost. She cursed the day she'd ever realized that she'd fallen in love for Keith. Their love had been doomed from the beginning. She smiled sadly as the memories flashed through her mind. Of the first time she'd seen him getting out of the family station wagon. How she'd teased her sister about her feelings for him and then had gone and fallen even harder for him herself. The day at the football field. The night in his garage. The night at Muldoon's Point. The last time she'd kissed him in the hallway at school and their conversation in the women's bathroom. The memories made her smile and then finally made her cry again.

Love – she could sure do without it.

xoxo

There was a soft knock on the door and he quickly sat up shoving the letter back into its envelope as best he could in its crumpled state.

"Keith?" Shirley said as she pushed the door open. She saw him sitting on the bed looking very sad and trying to shove the crumbled paper back into the envelope. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't I be?" Keith asked as he got up to stick the letter in his desk drawer.

"Well, we were supposed to start practice 10 minutes ago and you're never late." Shirley reminded him.

"Oh, yeah, why didn't you start without me?" Keith said as he walked toward the door hoping his mom would get the hint that they could leave.

"Because, you sing lead on most songs." Shirley reminded him. Something was definitely wrong. "Who was the letter from?"

"Oh, ummm, Molly." Keith lied.

"Funny, Danny didn't mention a postmark from Texas. That's something he would have noticed." Shirley pointed out.

Keith knew he was caught and didn't try to deny it. "Oh alright, it wasn't from Molly."

Shirley just raised an eyebrow at him and closed the door that she was still holding onto.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Keith started and Shirley was trying to decide whether or not to push him when he started talking on his own. "Why does love hurt so much?"

"I don't know, honey. I do know that most of the time love is wonderful." Shirley was feeling her way through this one.

"How can you say that? You loved dad and now he's gone. I know that hurts you." Keith turned away from the spark of pain that appeared in her eyes at his words.

"Yes, it does. But, Keith, I also have many happy memories of your father. Memories that bring me joy every day too." Shirley followed her son across his room and stood behind him as he gazed out his window.

"Well, I know that I never want to fall in love." Keith said vehemently and fisted his curtains in his hand as he pulled them back.

"Sounds to me like it might be too late." Shirley said quietly.

"No. Well, not anymore. The letter; it was a Dear John." Keith laughed shortly.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. Are you alright?" Shirley put her hand on his arm letting him know that she was there for him.

"Yeah, sure. I don't know." Keith waffled. He'd told himself so many times that he was over Beth, yet her letter made him realize that he'd been hiding from his feelings. As many times as she'd rejected him, he'd developed a mechanism to protect his heart from the next time she'd push him away. And inevitably she would. He'd talked himself out of loving her after every one of their encounters. He'd had to because each time they'd been together he'd fallen 'in' love.

"So, who was the letter from?" Shirley wasn't sure she'd get an answer, but she thought she'd try. He'd started to open up to her about so many things. Maybe if she knew more she could help.

"Beth Morgan." Keith said and then regretted telling her. Expecting to hear a lecture about how she was too old for him and he should have known.

"Ah, I should have guessed." Shirley admitted. After the scene her father had interrupted in the garage, she'd known that Keith and Beth had feelings for each other. And, as if a light bulb had gone off in her head, she realized who Keith had been with on the night he'd been late for his curfew. What they were doing she refused to think about. After all, Beth was older and likely more experienced than her son. She stopped herself with that thought.

"How?" Keith turned to see his mother smiling gently at him.

"Oh, Keith, I remember falling in love when I was your age too. I mean really in love. Not just liking someone a whole lot. He was a boy in my high school class – Richard Benson. We dated and I was head over heels for the boy. He was popular and handsome. He was smart and talented. And eventually, he fell in love with Martha Selby. It hurt so bad I thought my life was over. I had to watch them every day at school after he broke up with me. It was a pain I never thought I would recover from. But the next year I went away to college and met this wonderful man. This time, the love was mutual. It was much deeper and much more wonderful than what I felt for Richard. Someday Keith, you'll find that same kind of love." Shirley hoped that her words were true with all her heart. Everyone deserved to find their soul mate. She just knew that sometimes it didn't happen that way. But she had that hope for all of her children.

"But, Mom, dad's gone now. Doesn't that hurt more than you can stand?" Keith had to know if this pain would fade.

"It does sometimes. Sometimes, it hurts so much it takes my breath away. But every day I'm able to wake up and hear our beautiful children playing, laughing, arguing. It's the most beautiful sound in the world." Shirley smiled with a far away look on her face.

"You find our arguing to be a beautiful sound?" Keith teased and at his mother's nod he continued. "Guess I'll have to start picking on Danny more."

"Only if you want to lose every argument you have. You know he never gives in." Shirley reminded him.

"Right, maybe I should have said Laurie." Keith smiled at his mom who smiled back. "So you don't regret loving?"

"Not for one second. We'd never know how wonderful love can be if we never experienced loss. There is no good without the bad. It's all part of being – part of living." Shirley hated to admit it but her son was old enough to hear it. "Keith, I know it hurts right now, but every day it'll hurt a little less. It may not seem like it at first, but it's true. I still miss your father terribly, but each day there's more good than bad. There's more happy than sad. I don't know how else to explain it."

"No, you've done a good job explaining it. I think I get it. Dad always told me that I needed to experience heart break to be a good song writer. And, much as I hate to admit it, I already have some ideas running through my head from this. Does that make me a bad person?" Keith admitted sheepishly.

"No, honey. I'd say you're very normal. More song ideas, hmmm? Can we just learn the ones you've written so far? I don't know how much more we have time for." Shirley joked as they headed down to the garage.

Keith smiled at his mom. He hoped the smile was genuine enough o make her feel like she'd helped him and maybe someday it would. Right now, his heart was aching.

Love – he could sure do without it.

In his opinion, love was a four letter word.

_The End_


End file.
